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Secretary of State 
.Abraham, Lincoln 






cs 




FRANKLIN P. NORTON 



SIX DRAMAS 



OF 



American Romance and History 



BY 



FRANKLIN i P. NORTON 



The Secretary of State 

Financier of New York 

Abraham Lincoln, or The Rebellion 

Otomis, The Indian of Mexico 

The Third Term 

King of Wall Street 



NEW YORK 

THE SCHULTE PRESS 
132 East Twenty-third Street 

1915 






Copyright, 1915, h 

FRANKLIN P. NORTON 

AUTHOR 



These "Plays" are fully protected by the copyright law. 
In their present form they are dedicated to the reading public 
only, and no performance of them may be given, except by 
special arrangement with the owner of the acting rights. 

These rights are for sale separately, and can be purchased 
at moderate rates. Full information can be had, now or at any 
time in the future, by writing to, or calling on 

THE SCHULTE PRESS, 

132 East 23rd Street, 

New York City, 



Printed in tbe United States of America. 



311915 



Preface 

In offering these "Plays" to an indulgent public, the author wishes 
to make a frank confession that the credit, if any credit be due, belongs 
not so much to himself, as to William Shakespeare, and his immortal 
works, and to the Bible. Shakespeare's literary style, and his methods 
of dramatic conception and construction, have been attempted to be 
imitated, and much of his thought, and some of his actual language, have 
been used. The same is true, (but in a lesser degree) of Ben Jonson, 
Christopher Marlowe, and Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton; whose superb 
plays, have been freely resorted to both for thoughts and language. It, 
in fact, has been an enthusiastic effort, (however unworthily executed) 
to inject a strong flavor of Shakespeare and the others, into the text of a 
series of "Dramas," that would have for their aim, the presentation of 
some striking events in American life, conditions, and history. In the 
"Secretary of State" some rich gems of the many that are found in 
Milton's "Paradise Lost," have been utilized, with the idea that they 
would sparkle most brilliantly when separated from the cluster. 

From the Bible, the book of books; whose sacred pages I have 
read and studied with enthusiasm for a number of years, there has seem- 
ingly come to me great help and inspiration in literary composition. 

A word seems necessary in regard to Hubert's belief, (in "The 
Third Term") that the spirit of George Washington, appeared to him; 
which illusion or delusion, whichever you may prefer to term it, was 
shared in by Hubert's friends. The author wishes to be distinctly 
understood as saying that no such appearance, is either probable or 
possible, except that t.ie influence of some good man, who has passed 
away but left an enduring record behind him, often becomes real to those 
who venerate him. 

It is the author's sincere hope that the plays may be the source of 
some pleasure and profit to at least a few persons. 

F. P. N. 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



DRAMATIS 

George Washington President United States 

Thomas Jefferson Secretary of State 

Alexander Hamilton A Statesman 

Aaron Burr A Politician 

James Monroe Friend to Jefferson 

Lawrence Montague 

A Captain in the Regular Army 
The Chevalier Henri Boulanger 

An attache of the French Embassy 

The Sieur de Morny A "Secret Service" Spy 

Hogarth (the Hunchback) A Villain 

Judge of the Court 

Scene, Philadelphia, Pa. (At that time the Capital of 



PERSONS. 

Officer of the Court 

A Detective 

Jailor, and his Aids 

Young Courier 

Stephen Servant of Jefferson 

Clergyman 

Alice Stanley 

Orphan ward of Jefferson, betrothed to Montague 

Emilia. . . IVife to Boulanger, but passing as his Sister 

Miriam Loomis Keeper of a Bagnio 

Senators, Ambassadors, Notables, Ladies, Conspirators, 
Lawyers, Gamblers, Soldiers, Assassins, Musi- 
cians, and Servants. 

the United States.) 



ACT I 



Scene L — Philadelphia. A Salon in the house of 
Miriam Loomis; elegantly furnished: Baccarat 
tables at the rear, with a few players and spec- 
tators; at one side in front, a table with wines, 
fruits, etc.; at the other side a group of richly 
dressed Senators, Ambassadors and notables, some 
standing, some seated; Miriam passes them wine 
from a tray and returns to table. 

boulanger. 
Vive la republique! — (They drink.) 
Ha, ha, a sentiment that meets with 
But a hollow response. The Republic I 
An experiment ; against tradition, and 
The splendor of the Nations. Mine 
Associates of the embassy and myself, 
Cry out bah ! 

burr. 
Hush, sir! not so loud; 
The lady might betray us. 

boulanger. 

Nay, Burr. 
She's true blue ; you can trust Miriam. 
At our statelier homes, where chaste, yet 
Vain charms, exact from captives heavy 
Ransoms, there are sins more glaring oft. 
Than those which hang betwixt the lip and 
Eye of wanton beauty ; and Miriam's only 
Frailties are those her silken robe casts 
A kind charity over. — We are safe here. 

burr. 
Still we have a secret; and a secret in 
The possession of a woman, is no longer 
A secret. 



boulanger. 
Oh, as you please : — Miriam ; 
The baccarat players are too noisy; 
See to it, will you ? Thanks. ^Miriam withdraws.) 
You see she takes the hint. 
Proceed your Excellency. 

burr. 

Revolution, 
And the reign of terror in France, under 
The so-called republic, has forced many 
Of the European powers into a coalition 
Whose avowed purpose is the restoration 
Of the monarchy. We, representing the 
Most potent forces of the Federal, (or 
Monarchial) party of America, make a, 
Common cause with them, on the promise 
That a treaty will be made with whom 
We shall choose our King. 

boulanger. 

Vive le Roil 

BURR. 

This Boulanger, is to be left to the 
Diplomacy of you and your friends across 
The seas : I meanwhile will seek those vast 
Tracts of our land, beyond the Mississippi, 
Where civilization is yet in its infancy. 
To stir up the desperate classes by 
Sophistries, and win them to our ranks. 
Adjacent to that soil, lie the French 
Colonies, with a large force of soldiers. 
Whose General, Dreyfuss, (a loyalist) 
Has sworn fidelity to our cause. We 
Have here all the conditions drawn ; it 
Only lacks the signatures. (Shows paper.) 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



BOULANGER. 

But the 
Secretary of State, is a modern Briareus ; 
Some of his hundred hands will clutch at us, 
And then — treason's swift doom, the hangman. 

BURR. 

Ah, is it so ; then we must destroy 

Briareus !• — Our cause is greater than 

The life of any single man. This scroll 

Is a stern clarion call to battle, bloodshed. 

Yea, perhaps — murder. Our parchment sent 

To France, Jefferson sent to hades or 

Oblivion ! the last my charge ; we'll make 

Our minions strike for victory, while 

We stride to power. 

An attendant announces "Alexander Hamilton.' 

BOULANGER. 

Welcome ! your Excellency : we had almost 
Despaired of your coming. 

BURR. 

But relied 
Still on your word, which is better than 
Many a man's bond. 

HAMILTON. 

Burr, my honor is 
Untarnished yet, and I hope to keep 
It so. Who is the hostess ? 

BURR. 

A lady,^ — 
Unknown to society, and to the secret 
Service. A model meeting house : a place 
Where Judas' silver would pass current. 

HAMILTON. 

We can be secret, yet still sincere : 
Note the difference between secrecy 
And treachery. What constitutes a traitor? 
One who publicly advocates what he 
Privately opposes. We, all of us stand 
And have stood, for a pyramidal Empire : 
Its base the people, and gradually 
Ascending to the apex of a crown. 



Bravo! bravo! 



SENATORS, ETC. 



HAMILTON. 



Thomas Jefferson, 
Our august Secretary of State, claims 
That truth to be self evident, which says 
That all men are created free and equal. 
At our splendid functions, where the rich 
And titled gather in competition social. 
There's not a sunbeam creeping o'er the 
Floor, but seems a glance from that censorious 
Eye, whose baleful gleam suspects a special 
Privilege. But even Jefferson and his 
Spies may o'erlook the serpent that the 
Flowers hide : then wreath the face in smiles, 
To mask a heart that's full of deadly wiles. 



BURR. 

Remember, Gentlemen, that we meet here 
Again to-morrow night; for the twelve 
Labors of Hercules, were but pastime 
To our task. Now, what say you to a 
Walk in the Gardens? — come. 
(Exeunt all but Boulanger and De Morny: some 

Baccarat players come to the front and join 

them.) 

DE MORNY. 

What luck, Montague? 

MONTAGUE. 

I have only been an onlooker. 

DE MORNY. 

Baccarat is a stupid game. 

But dice is fine; come, a throw or two. 

With me. 

(They play and Montague loses.) 

DE MORNY. 

There's no limit to my luck ; unless perchance 
I play against a purse whose contents are 
IN AMBIGUO. 

MONTAGUE. 

Not in doubt, sir; I never 
Play for more than I can pay ; double 
The stakes. 

DE MORNY. 

Oh, as you wish. (They throw.) 
Fortune is still amiable. 

SPECTATORS. 

Montague loses ! 



Poor fellow. 



The same. 



DE MORNY. 

Another throw, the stakes 



MONTAGUE (handing wallet). 
De Morny, I pray you 
Excuse me, I am penniless : but what 
Matters it, I have not long to live. 

DE MORNY. 

A suicide? — let me entreat a genteel 
Way ; either the pistol or the subtle 
Poison. 

MONTAGUE. 

Neither: there's no necessity 
To kill myself, if I were so inclined; 
The public executioner will perform 
That favor for me. 

A GAMESTER. 

You are bankrupt? 
Ha, ha, then go to that Democrat, who 
Gives to outcasts, a social status and 
A name ; Jefferson. 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



MONTAGUE. 

Jefferson ! 
BOULANGER (aside). 
He never hears that name, but he turns 
Pale and trembles : I wonder why. 
Are you going Gentlemen? — so be it; 
I'll stay and comfort Montague. 

(Exeunt all but Boulanger and MontagueJ 
Montague, you have lost all, and are 
Desperate ? 

MONTAGtJE. 

Not at all. I was always the master 
Of my purse, and not its slave : we have 
Parted company, I have lost nothing. 

BOULANGER. 

You are a strange enigma, Lawrence : — 
Fiery in war, and lukewarm in love. 
Your beard of most exquisite and formal 
Cut, handsome face, and lithe limbs ; a 
Disposition both moody and boisterous ; 
Rather sanctimonious, and yet possessing 
A vocabulary of strange oaths : risking 
Your life for a soldier's reputation, only to 
Have the reputation survive you. 
Confide in me ! our ages roll together ; 
Basking in the same beams, that illumine 
The heaven of hope ; you have I am sure 
— Some dark secret 

MONTAGUE. 

You are right: 
A secret that doth haunt my waking hours, 
And fill my dreams with horror ; listen : 
More than a year ago while on service 
In an outpost on the frontier, with the 
Rank of Captain ; hating our Colonel, 
And beguiled by some fiery spirits, 
I joined their revolt against him, and 
Several lives were lost ; we were tried by 
Court-martial and sentenced to be shot. 
Which was done to all, myself excepted ; 
I was taken into the presence of the 
Secretary of State, who thus addressed me ; 
"A just sentence has been passed upon you, 
Which you richly merit, and must suffer : 
Your father was my dear friend, for his sake 
I spare you this disgrace, that you may 
Meet a soldier's death at the hands of 
The Indians" 

BOULANGER. 

Oh, such rare clemency! 
Such tender pity ! — saved from the bullet, 
To be tomahawked and scalped by the 
Redmen. 

MONTAGUE. 

Bowing low I left, joined my 
Troop, and fought for a year like a devil : 
Courted ambush and danger imminent; 
Took disastrous chances ; death became as 
Longed for, as Mecca to the drooping pilgrim : 
I seemed to bear a charmed life ; death 
Eluded me. 



BOULANGER. 

How sad, how unfortunate! 
(Aside.) At least for me. 

MONTAGUE. 

Now, to conclude: 
We were ordered back to Philadelphia ; 
Yesterday came this word from Jefferson : 
"You have broken your promise, and must 
Pay the penalty ; you will hear from me 
Soon ; prepare to meet your bride." 

BOULANGER. 

Bride! 

A most saintly and constant creature, 
Who will embrace you closely, and her 
Name is — death. 

MONTAGUE. 

Alas, only too true; 
For Jefferson though kind-hearted, is 
Stern and relentless in the discharge 
Of duty. 

BOULANGER. 

Yet life is sweet ; too sweet 
To lose without a struggle : come, join us. 
Who vow the death of your grim tyrant ; 
Whose arrogancy has aroused the ire, 
Of his greater master, Washington ; help 
Us to set up royalty, and be a sharer 
In the emoluments. 

MONTAGUE. 

Not emoluments. 
But ignominy ! — for Jefferson seems 
An instrument of Divine providence, 
Like those seers and prophets of old : 
To all who oppose him, one common end — 
Disaster. 

BOULANGER. 

But think of those who love you, 
Have a care for them ; relatives, friends, 
Perhaps a sweetheart. 

MONTAGUE. 

Remorse and sorrow, 
Are in full possession of my soul : I 
Have all these you name, even a sweetheart. 

BOULANGER. 

Tell me of her? 

MONTAGUE. 

A Strange attachment; 
I love, and am against my will beloved. 

BOULANGER (agitated). 
Strange, indeed ! 

MONTAGUE. 

While lying in durance vile, 
Awaiting the dread hour of the verdict, 
We were visited often by a young girl. 
Who brought each of us fragrant flowers: 
A prison angel 1 the daughter of a 
Dead soldier ; she learned of our sad fate. 
Through her place of employment, a Bureau, 



10 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



Of the War Department. A rare maiden; 
Chaste as an icicle, pure as snow; 
One only to be melted into the heat 
Of sentiment, by a breath as wooing. 
And gentle as the springtime breezes : 
She came, I saw, and was conquered; 
I loved madly at first sight ! 

BOULANGER (aside). 
He speaks of Alice : standing upon the 
Brink of the grave, he covets the rose. 
That I will pluck and wear. 

MONTAGUE. 

Pardoned from 
A felon's end, to be killed in battle ; 
For her dear sake I courted ghastly death. 
As eagerly as the lepers sought in the 
Ancient days, Bethesda's pool ; and failed ! 
Back to Philadelphia, after a year's absence. 
An intense, an irresistible longing. 
Came over me to see her. Intoxicated 
By her greeting, I lost my head utterly, 
And coward-like declared my passion ; 
Finding that she loved me. Coming now 
To my senses, I thought of the great 
Wrong done her, and tried to undo it : 
I told her to forget what I had said; 
That I was a villain and a scoundrel ; 
And rushed madly from her presence. — 
Alas, I shall never see her again ! 

BOULANGER (aside). 
Not if I can prevent it. The demon. 
Jealousy, rankles in my breast, and makes 
Your doom assured. (Aloud) How annoying, 
That fate should interfere with such a 
Promising romance. 

MONTAGUE. 

Nothing remains now, 
But a frail strand of life : distraction. 
The desperate man's remedy for care, 
I have tried, and failed; repentance. 
Still is left me ; all may yet be well : 
Time flies, beauty fades, and mortal custom 
Palls on our wearied senses : the richest 
Prizes that the world has to give, are 
Not inherited outright, but held only 
By life tenure : I am content to die. 
As we may not meet again, I'll say farewell ! 

BOULANGER. 

Must you go? — well then adieu ! (Exit Montague.^ 

I trust forever! I designed you for 

Jefferson's assassin, for I knew that 

He held over your handsome head the 

Dread suspended sentence : you, his victim, 

Suits as well. When the love of Alice, 

Shone upon your face, I cursed you from 

The depths of my tortured soul. My course. 

Is plain : to help establish a King here. 

And make my name a byword ; then with 

The lovely Alice, to return to France, 



To bask in the beams of the restoration ; 
(Sure to come despite the pseudo republic,) 
And share in the perquisites which will 
Be showered on all its votaries. 
I am married, what of that? it is not 
Known here, and over there it won't matter : 
Alice and I will live in a splendid chateau. 
In the provinces ; it will excite no scandal, 
'Tis quite a common caper over there. 
(Re-enter Montague, in the custody of four 
soldiers.) 

MONTAGUE (to BOULANGER^. 

The hair broke, and the suspended sword. 

Has fallen ; you see my dilemma. 

Had gone only a few blocks along the 

Street, when I was arrested, on a 

Military warrant, which calls for my 

Positive appearance to-morrow night. 

At the War Department. The soldiers gave 

Me a few moments respite to return 

Here for some papers. Once more, good-bye ! 

BOULANGER. 

Good-bye ! 

(Exeunt Soldiers with Montague.^ 
Perdu, lost, lost 1 ah, ha, ha ! 
(Exit.) 

Scene II. — Philadelphia. Archaeologic Room, of the 
War Department: "walls and ceiling decorated in 
bas-reliefs and arabesques ; everywhere are seen 
antique offensive and defensive weapons: engines., 
cannon, guns, armors, shields, battle-axes, strong- 
bows, swords, daggers, spears, javelins, etc. The 
Spectators leave, and then the Clerks leave: 
Alice, engaged at her typewriter, remains. 



Closing up time, and I am left alone. 

(Looking at clock.) It is the hour of 

The appointment. — — What is love? 

Love is, it seems, so strange a frenzy. 

That it is not subject to reason's sway. 

The law itself laughs at lovers' perjuries. 

When I heard his story, I should have 

Frowned, and seemed perverse, and said him 

Nay : he might have kept true, so long as 

I was willful. Ah me, love is cruel : — 

And yet, how sweet a lover's tongue does 

Sound ; it falls like music on the ear. 

I would have fain denied my secret. 

But he would not have it so, and took 

Me in his arms ; and I foolishly gave 

Way to that I did most long for : then 

Suddenly breaking away he left me, 

With harsh words upon his lips : did he 

Impute my eager yielding to light love? 

Impetuous he was, and I not bold. 

Enter Jefferson, and a secret service Detective: 

Alice arises and passes out bowing to them on 

the way. 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



11 



JEFFERSON. 

So you, as a skilled and renowned 
Detective, think this new conspiracy, 
The most formidable one of all? 

DETECTIVE. 

Very powerful, and awfully dangerous : 
Hamilton, heads the traitors. 

JEFFERSON. 

Pardon me. 
Sir ; Hamilton heads no traitors 1 — 
He may be mistaken, he can be deceived. 
But he cannot be corrupted. 

DETECTIVE. 

And next 
In the way of authority and influence. 
There is Aaron Burr. 

JEFFERSON. 

He, has ambition ; 
The sin that caused the rebel angels' fall. 
A man of marked ability ; yet some think 
Him very unscrupulous. Well, proceed. 

DETECTIVE. 

Boulanger, an attache of the French 
Embassy, the least erected spirit 
Of them all, is the serpent of the 
Cabal : his motive, a strange mixture 
Of ambition, avarice, love and lust. 

JEFFERSON. 

A wicked fellow, but very strong with 
The aristocracy here and abroad ; said 
To be a great favorite of Washington. 
It took me many years to mount as high 
As this poisonous adder has in a jiffy: 
But I hold the weapons, and when he 
Crawls across my path, I'll bruise his head. 

DETECTIVE. 

The scheme is hydra-headed : Hamilton, 
Is simply working for his pet idea 
Of a monarchy; Burr, secretly aims 
To be that Kingdom's King; Boulanger, 
True to none, treacherous to all, yet 
Deems riches and preferment will result; 
Hopes to ingratiate himself with the 
Looked for restoration abroad, by 
Advancing royalty here ; and then to 
Return to France with a bride, who is 
To be — the young lady that just left us. 

JEFFERSON. 

No, no, not her, but another ; Jefferson has 
Another bride for Boulanger. 

DETECTIVE. 

You have! 



Might I ask whom ? 



JEFFERSON. 

One, the only one. 
That can keep such a false and fickle 
Creature, ever faithful — the grave. 
The courting is done upon the scaffold. 
And the ceremony performed by the hangman. 
I have heard of his attentions to Alice ; 
And how his insidious flattery has 
Wrought upon her : she is a noble girl. 
Just a little vain, and he is handsome, 
And soft spoken.— Go on now. 

DETECTIVE. 

There is 
Little more to be said, save that you. 
Being the main obstacle in the plotters' 
Way, are to be got rid of, by fair means 
Or foul. They dread your power to sway 
The people's minds ; what you already know. 
Or may discover; and the worst of them. 
Say that dead men tell no tales. 

JEFFERSON. 

Enough : 
I will see you again on this matter ; 
Meantime, you and your secret service men, 
Hang lynx-eyed upon their track. 

(Exit Detective.^ 

It was ever thus : virtue may reign, peace 
Smile, and all streams flow to the ocean 
Of content ; and yet the malignant and 
Envious faction, will rear its gorgon 
Head. Well was it said : "Eternal vigilance, 
Is the price of liberty." 

(Re-enter Alice.J 

My child, how is it that the clouds hang 
Upon your face, when Aurora's softest tints. 
Were wont to nestle there ? 



My kind and true 
Protector ! I almost had said. Father. 

JEFFERSON. 

That is and ever shall be, my attitude 
Towards you. 

ALICE. 

Father ! — that dear name. 
Grows dearer to an orphan. 

JEFFERSON. 

Less than an 
Orphan, so long as Jefferson lives ! 
Thy own father, loved me well ; he was 
A stanch friend, amongst some true and 
Many false ones : he died and left you 
To me. And thou shalt have a dowry. 
Girl, fit for the mightiest : not wealth. 
And a be-jewelled crown of adulations. 
But a pure heart and deft hands ; sowing 
And reaping in the rich harvest fields 
Of honest industry. 



12 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



ALICE. 

Oh, you are kind ! 
I should be very happy, and was — until 

JEFFERSON. 

Until what ? — there, you are wilting like 
A rose, that languishes for moisture : sighs, 
And tears not far away : what ails my Alice? 
(Aside.) Can she love Boulanger, and not 
Montague? 

ALICE. 

A mere nothing; just one of 
Those sorrows that young girls have. 

JEFFERSON. 

You are loving and tender, and there is 
That at your heart, which can make you 
Blush and pale even in a breath. Each day, 
Your adolescence paints to you the open 
Gates of lovers' paradise, to be entered 
On the morrow. Among your admirers. 
Say, whose is the face most deeply stamped 
Upon your fancy? Is it the dashing 
And polished Frenchman, the chevalier 
Henri Boulanger? 

ALICE. 

No, I dread that man, — 
He is very attentive, and compliments 
And flatters me, but my soul, guided by 
Some inner knowledge that I know not of, 
Rises in rebellion : oh, no, not him. 



And the others? 



JEFFERSON. 



ALICE. 

Well, there's the sieur 
De Morny, Boulanger's friend, and equally 
Detested ; and Aaron Burr, who talks love 
Nonsense on his own account, and then 
Commends Boulanger ; says that for his sake. 
Boulanger would be the right man. I don't 
Know what he means, and I distrust him. 

JEFFERSON. 

You are right ; for Burr has a well known 
Weakness for women ; and men who have such 
Idols, (not of wood or stone, but flesh) 
Are not to be trusted. Beware also of 
Boulanger ; for your virginal intuition, 
Has rightly judged him. 

ALICE. 

I am quite sure 
There is some subtle tie between the two. 
Which takes in others ; not callers like them, 
But employed here : strange calls are made 
At strange hours, curious questions asked. 
Keyholes peeped into, documents pored over. 
Mysterious meetings inside closed doors. 
Your name mentioned with oaths : these things, 
Have some deadly aim, and I do fear them ! 



JEFFERSON. 

They are plotting some calamity ; but 
Never fear, we will signally defeat them. — 
Now to return to our subject; will you, 
Confide in me? what is the name of 
Your lover? 

(Enter a Soldier.^ 

SOLDIER. 

Lawrence Montague, whom you 
Ordered brought here, waits below, sir. 

ALICE (eagerly) 
Lawrence Montague! 

JEFFERSON (aside). 

Is the man she loves ; 
I have not been misinformed. 

(To Soldier.^ 
When this lady leaves me, bring him in. 

ALICE. 

Ordered brought here — and by soldiers — 
I fear some evil — what does it mean? 
Do you know Lawrence ? 

JEFFERSON. 

You call him Lawrence; 
Quite familiar : how many times has he 
Spoken to you ? 

ALICE. 

Oh, I don't know, not often, 
Perhaps a dozen altogether ; once over 
There by the armor of Macbeth : alas ! 
That was the last. 

JEFFERSON. 

Did he talk of love? 
Come Alice, I must have the truth? — 
I insist upon it as a father? 

ALICE. 

Yes, 
In fervent words !— He asked me to be 
His wife, and I at last consented : then 

JEFFERSON. 

Then, he suddenly cooled, left you, 
And has not returned? 

ALICE. 

Alas, just so! 
Oh, explain his actions ! 

JEFFERSON. 

Nearly always, 
A sure sign of the fickle and inconstant 
Lover; who Tantalus-like only longs, 
For what is just beyond his reach. 
Zounds! but I'll have a great surprise 
In store, for this amorous young soldier. 



You're angry with your Alice ; not without 
Cause : I have been indiscreet I know. 
And now must suffer for the fault. 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



13 



JEFFERSON (assuming anger). 

Angry! 
I wish that you both could know just 
How furious I am : mischievous maid, 
And audacious youth.— Leave me now. 
But remain at hand, I will join you 
Presently. 

(Alice starts and comes back.) 

ALICE. 

His face is set and stern ; 
I dare not call him father ; yet I must 
Tell him. — My protector ! 

JEFFERSON. 

Well, my child, 
What is it? 

ALICE. 

Nay, do not frown on me, 
But smile ; for even at the risk of 
Your displeasure, I say that no amount 
Of distrust or suspicion, can ever 
Shake my faith in Lawrence. 

(Exit Alice.) 

JEFFERSON. 

Egad the girl has spirit ; an almost 

Infallible symbol of a guileless heart. (Pauses.) 

Spies and traitors in the 

War Department ! this looks ominous ! — 

The schemers it seems, plan to make my 

Orphan ward, an instrument to aid my 

Deadly foes, while some swaying from ambition, 

To the upas lust, seek to assail her virtue. 

Burr, lascivious, but decorous, hopes 

By her marriage to his minion Boulanger, 

To smooth the thorny pathway to illicit love. 

(Enter two Soldiers.) 

Soldiers, admit your prisoner : and stay ; 
You had best remain without, lest he 
Carry some concealed weapon, or in his 
Rage, assault me : despair often supplies 
A lifelong defect, and makes a nonentity, 
A hero. /^'^kimi 

(Soldiers bow and retire, enter Montague, Jeffer- 
son now sits at desk.) 

Approach sir. — You probably have guessed 
That the reason of your summons here. 
Is the grave matter of the suspended 
Sentence ? 

MONTAGUE. 

Sir, I had already arrived 
At that conclusion. 

JEFFERSON. 

The decision being 
Left in my hands, there goes with it 
A solemn obligation to discharge the 
Duty rightly. 

MONTAGUE. 

Most solenan ! 



JEFFERSON. 

You have. 
No doubt, in remembrance, the reasons 
I gave you for my intense interest in 
The case. 

MONTAGUE. 

For my dear father's sake. 

JEFFERSON. 

Your father was a soldier. I knew him. 
And many people knew him to be one 
Of the bravest and most honorable 
Men, that ever drew the breath of life : 
I could not see his son, die a felon's 
Death : I begged from Washington, the 
Privilege of a disposition of the 
Matter ; to give you a chance to meet, 
An honorable end : you know the rest. 

MONTAGUE. 

I fought bravely ; and strove for death : 
And yet I live. 

JEFFERSON. 

Oh, miserable delusion, 
Of man's egotism : you fought bravely ! 
Your father too, fought bravely ; but on 
His death bed, he told me that war, 
Was so far away from the heart of 
The Infinite, that it could only be 
Continued by man's pride. War, my dear sir, 
Is the primitive, the first step of 
Progress : to be used to tame savages : 
Ergo ; those nations that war to-day. 
Are partly savage. 



But truthful. 



MONTAGUE. 

Startling sentiments. 



JEFFERSON. 

The culture of the ages. 
Is moulded by the pen, not by the sword ; 
And progress is the magic power, that 
Moves all activity. Behold these weapons ! — 
Which bear mute testimony in themselves. 
Of the coming end of war : amidst their 
Horrid, uncouth, and terrible shapes, we 
Mark the subtle fact, improvement ; proving 
More eloquently than words, that intelligence, 
And not barbarity, was the latent force. 
That brought them into being. 
But now to business. — Here is the 
Report of your Colonel : (Reads paper.) 

"Obedient and earnest as to discipline, temperate and 
regular in habits, good language, good morals: 
exhibitions of bravery even to recklessness; 
saved on one occasion a woman (married), from 
the Indians; on another occasion two children, 
risking almost certain death." 
This is a trifle in your favor. — But, 
Lawrence Montague, doomed to almost 
Certain death ; since your return some 
Few months past, have you passed your 
Time in solemn meditation, and recipient 
Been of the prayers of pious men ? 



14 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



MONTAGUE. 

No, I can't say that I — that is — 

JEFFERSON. 

That is, 
You have not done so, but instead have 
Given way to dissipation and debauchery. 

MONTAGUE. 

Although Virginia born, I sometimes think 
There flows in my veins, a tinge of the 
Romantic blood of the ancient troubadours. 
A wild heart, alive to love and sympathy. 
While danger — which sobers even the boldest 
Men, fills it with an insane delight : 
Like the peaceful shepherds of the olden 
Days, who were mild and gentle, and yet 
Caught frenzied madness from the Maenad's 
Haunting eyes. — If you were young like me, 
Condemned like me, while hope still beat 
High in spite of hopelessness, and life 
Looked far more lovely from contrast with 
Approaching death, you might like me have 
Fallen! 

JEFFERSON. 

I might have been reckless, yea, 
Riotous ; but not like you, a coward 
And a sneak. 

MONTAGUE. 

Apologize to me for those 
Words, or prisoner as I am, I will 
Assault you ! 

JEFFERSON. 

Your hurt honor, may be 
Mollified, by making you see yourself. 
As you are. I will not speak of your 
Excesses with dissolute companions, but 
Bring before your eyes the vision of 
A sweet innocent girl, whose virtue you 
Have craved, but could not tarnish. 
Still chaste and pure as the mountain dew, 
Yet, her tender heart is blighted ; for you, 
A felon, out on parole, won her affection. 
Wrung from her a promise to marry you, 
And then left her. — What can you say? 

MONTAGUE. 

Damnable act ! I deserve no mercy ! — 
There's no excuse, except — I loved her : 
I loved her then ; and now, standing in 
The shadow of eternal separation, (except 

perchance we meet in Heaven^ how dearly 
I love her now ! — I solemnly resolved, 
Never to speak of love ; but one look 
At that fair face, after a year's absence, 
Unnerved me, and I needs must give — 
To receive again — warm tokens of fidelity. 
Base knight ! false lover ! who records vows, 
He knows must soon be broken. Revoke all 
Thoughts of mercy; I deserve the full 
Penalty. 



JEFFERSON. 

Your sentence shall be severe : — 
Imprisonment for life. 

MONTAGUE. 

Imprisonment for life ! 
That's worse than death. 

JEFFERSON. 

Not necessarily: 
You shall be placed for life, in the sole 
Custody of a dear friend of mine, the 
Only one fit to guard you ; your place 
Of confinement, some government building : 
How much like a prison it will be. 
Depends upon how much you learn to love 
It and your jailor; for love is the 
Soul's eyes ; to be loveless, is to be blind ; 
To be surrounded by beauty, and not 
Be able to see it. 

MONTAGUE. 

Can love take root, 
Spring up and flourish, in a prison ? 

JEFFERSON. 

To the brave heart and dauntless mind. 
All places are alike : a man may be a 
Slave, and yet be master of heaven's 
Choicest gifts ; a man may be free. 
And yet be a slave to evil passions ; 
A man may be happily married, and yet 
Become a prisoner for life by faithlessness 
To marriage vows :— Our Spirit ! soaring to 
The lofty heights of good, or sinking to 
The dark abyss of evil, can make a 
Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven. 

MONTAGUE. 

Those inspiring words give me new courage : 
My case seems desperate, but a drowning 
Man will cling even to a straw. 

JEFFERSON. 

^ Just so; 
And such a frail support, has proved to 
Be many a man's salvation. I must leave 
You now : to have been severe, causes 
Me much sorrow : in the terrible ordeal 
Now before you, my sympathy goes out 
To you, for I go to send your jailor 
Here. 

MONTAGUE. 

Stay ; one word before you go ; 
Alice, your ward, for so she is regarded. 
Tell her — not now but when I am dead — 
That I loved her. 

JEFFERSON. 

Nonsense ; such follies. 
Are not to be entrusted to a messenger. 
(Exit Jeffeeson.) 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



IS 



MONTAGUE. 

Shall I Stand idly here, and wait for 
Certain doom, or make a bold dash for 

Liberty? (Tries doors.) 

All doors are locked, but this ; and here, 

The soldiers are probably just outside; 

But I may be able to escape them. 

To fly, is to become a fugitive from 

Justice ; for my trial was fair, and that 

I was not shot, but stand here, is 

Due to Jefferson's mercy, exercised 

In the even course of orderly procedure : 

To run away then, is to be a coward : 

Besides, so subtle is authority, that 

Though its chains which bind us, be but 

Gossamer, we dare not seek to break them, — 

If Alice were to bring me flowers now. 

Lovely roses, rich with the significance 

Of love, they could but grace the earth 

Where my hopes lie buried ! 

(He falls into a chair and drops head on desk.) 

Re-enter Alice. 

ALICE. 

He said he had just sentenced a man. 
To be a prisoner for life — in my sole 
Charge — my prisoner — hard labors 
Solitary confinement : those were the 
Pith of his strange words ; and when I 
Asked him to explain, he sternly told 
Me to stop talking, and come and take 
My captive away. Who can he be ? 
Where is he ? 

MONTAGUE. ■ 

That voice ! — so silver sweet 
In utterance, falls like a benediction. 
On my troubled thoughts — Alice. 
What does she here so long after hours? 
Perhaps has returned for something. 
She must not see my face. 

ALICE. 

f Oh, sir, 

Here you are. — Do not give way to 
Despondency; Mr. Jefferson is gracious; 
There may be hope for you yet. He said 
That you were to be in my care ; I don't 
Know why, unless it is because I visit 
Bad men like you, and try to make them 
Better: I will try to be very good to 
You, and hope that you may learn to 
Like me. 

MONTAGUE. 

Like you ? — I love you, Alice ! 
(Turns around so she can see his face.) 

ALICE. 

Mr. Montague! (Rising he takes her hand.) 
Lawrence ! — (Very sadly.) So you are the 
Condemned man ? 



MONTAGUE. 

Yes. — The fatal words 
Pronounced, the measure of my servitude 
Defined, and then he left me, saying; 
"I go to send your jailor to you." 

ALICE. 

And he told me to come here and get 
My captive. 

MONTAGUE. 

Great heavens ! a light breaks 
Through the tempest in my mind. (Embrace.) 
My own Alice ! — 

(Jefferson appears at door.) 
He has pardoned me. The terrible doom, 
That hung over me like a pall, and which 
Made me leave you in such a seemingly 
Heartless way, has been remitted : he has 
Pardoned me, and besides with lavish 
Munificence, given me all your lovely 
Self. 

(Embraces again as Jefferson advances.) 

JEFFERSON. 

My children; 
For you are almost as dear to me as 
My own ; let me share in your happiness. — 
When I was told sometime since of your 
Betrothal, I felt that one who could 
Win the love of Alice, must indeed be 
A paragon of excellence, and as I had 
Already arrived at the conclusion that 
Lawrence was innocent, at heart, I saw 
A pathway of joy, out of a labyrinth 
Of sorrow ; and was confirmed in this 
View, by what has just transpired between 
Us. My severity, was but assumed, 
To test you ; and well have you stood 
The trial. 

(They fall to knees.) 

ALICE. 

An earthly Father ! 
Of my dear departed Father's choosing: 
From my fond heart forever now, I'll 
Blot the name of orphan. 

MONTAGUE. 

Through you, sir; 
All through you, I have been saved from 
A dreadful fate ; and, chastened by sad 
Experiences, enabled to re-enter life's 
Struggles, with the adored Alice, for 
A helpmate. May my Father, from his home. 
In the empyreal skies, look down upon 
Us, and bless you ! 

JEFFERSON. 

Rise, my dear children : 
For you are mine, both mine : and in your 
Sweet and young delight — ^your love — 
(Life's crown of gloryj, my own lost youth 
Is resurrected. 

(Exeunt.) 



16 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



ACT II 



Scene I. — Philadelphia. The sumptuous Parlors in 
Boulanger's Mansion: glass casements opening to 
the rear lawns: beyond in the distance the domes 
of Independence Hall: in the center of room are 
sliding doors, which closed, shut off the bach 
Parlor from view; they are now open. 

EMILIA (looking in pier glass). 

I am glad that I am young and beautiful ; 
Else how could I retain the love of 
My handsome and accomplished husband? 
It was no mean prize, that I drew in 
The lottery of love : riches and a title, 
Added to this charmer. Warned by the 
Dread fate of the King, Louis the XVI., 
He parted with his title, rather than 
His head ; but will no doubt soon have 
It back again, for though an agent here. 
Of the French republic, he is really 
Working with the royalists. 

(Enter Boulanger.^ 

BOULANGER. 

What Emilia, 
You here? I thought you had retired 
To your chamber, not to leave it again 
Until the morn? 

EMILIA. 

Away from you, Henri, 
Is banishment, to be near you joy. 
Why are you so anxious to be rid 
Of me? 

BOULANGER. 

Nonsense! — you are very jealous, 
And trifles light as air, you magnify 
Into most portentous things. 

EMILIA. 

Sometimes, 
Perhaps I do : but Henri, I love you. 
And it is no trifle, for me to pass. 
Not for what I am — your wife ; but as 
Your sister. 

BOULANGER. 

But I told you there was 
A reason for that ; a grave and vital 
Reason. 

EMILIA. 

Can there ever be any good 
Reason, for a wife to tell a falsehood 
About the true relation between herself • 
And husband ? 

BOULANGER. 

Well, we won't argue. — 
Come dear, go to your room ; the secret 
Cabal meets here at ten-thirty ; it lacks 
Only ten minutes of that time, and I 
Have some things to do in the meantime. 



(Rudely.) You must go. (Exit Emilia.J 
'Tis past the hour; Montague should come. 
"Pardoned by Jefferson," he wrote, "and 
To be married to Alice to-morrow." — 
What if he does not come? then must I 
Contrive, a new way to be rid of him : 
And if my devilish invention thrive, 
I will yet obtain Alice, all unpolluted 
By his profaning touch. Well, Montague, 
Thou hast escaped the felon's doom ; 
But art thou farther from destruction. 
Fool? I have revealed thy secret projects, 
To the President; backed up by lies. 
And circumstance's treacherous evidence; 
That Washington threatens to withhold , 
His approval of the pardon, (a right, 
He still held in reserve) and let the 
Execution take its course. False Montague, 
Thou stand'st on a precipice, and in 
The smooth and glassy surface of the 
Lake below, I see thy tottering form 
Reflected an instant ere it sinks to 
Rise no more. In the interval, though 
Thou still keep betrothed, ha — ha — 
Thou never shalt be wedded. 



(Enter Servant who announces: 
ley.") 



"Miss Alice Stan- 



BOULANGER. 



Alice Stanley! — 
What in the world brings her here? 
Let me think : — admit her ; — and stay, 
On your life allow no one to enter 
Unannounced. 

(Exit Servant, enter Alice.) 

ALICE. 

Mr. Boulanger; — where is Mr. Montague? 

BOULANGER. 

Miss Alice ; delighted I am sure ! — 
Be seated. So you expected to find 
Mr. Montague here? 

ALICE. 

He sent me some 
Awful intelligence ; my anxiety forced 
Me to seek him without delay ; I did 
Not find him at his apartment, but an 
Open note lay on his desk from you. 
Asking him to call at once upon its 
Receipt. Has he not been here ? 

BOULANGER. 

Not yet. 
And I fear will not ; he makes promises. 
Only to break them ; never keeps faith : 
He is not to be trusted. 



You wrong him : 
I know him to be the soul of honor. 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



17 



BOULANGER. 

But honor is an essence that's not seen : 
A biased judgment says they have it oft, 
That have it not. 

ALICE. 

You wish to insinuate. 
That he is dishonorable, and my love 
Blinds me to the fact. 

BOULANGER. 

Let him be what 
He will, and ply his trade of libertine. 
To his heart's content, so long as he 
Harm not you. 

ALICE. 

Libertine, an ugly word. 
Surely you have been falsely informed, 
Or believe the whispering lies of your 
Own malice. 

BOULANGER. 

I may be over punctilious ; 
If so, it springs from my solicitude 
For you : yet what I know, is not mere 
Surmise or suspicion, but that which came 
From his own lips : shocking words, that 
Little used as I am to villainies. 
Did move my too acute sensibility. 



To confute a slanderer, one must 
Catechise him : I demand that you tell 
Me what he said to you. 

BOULANGER. 

'Tis no matter. 
What he said : no more, no doubt, than 
He'll deny. 

ALICE. 

Innuendo; the coward's weapon: 
I insist sir, that you speak out. 

BOULANGER. 

I do protest myself your friend ; that you 
Distrust me, is to say the least annoying : 
Though I am loath to recite the vulgar 
Speeches of a ruffian ; yet to save you 
Pain, I will speak ; and haply may my 
Words spoken in pure sincerity, be more 
Then confirmed by some rankling sore yet 
Lingering in your memory, of occasions 
When aroused suspicion was too easily 
Allayed. 

ALICE. 

Go on, go on, I beseech you ! 

BOULANGER. 

That he had made love to you for pastime ; 
And with an ulterior motive, too vulgar 
To be mentioned : solicited an avowal 
Of your love, merely to gratify his vanity ; 
And then growing weary of the comedy. 
Had left you : then cursed dissembling 
Nature for making him so fickle, that 



Constancy were to him a feat impossible. — 
This and much more had he blabbed, when 
I indignant ordered him to pause; and 
Lack of iniquity, fwhich oft causes me 
Inconvenience^ alone saved him from 
My wrath. 

ALICE (walking away). 
Alas, that cruel speech. 
Has reft my heart ; turned faith to doubt. 
And trust to deep suspicion ! — It cannot 
Be true, and yet Lawrence's note said that 
Our' nuptials must not take place now — 
He could not foresee the end — would explain . 
All when he saw me. — Sought for once — twice; 
And twice forsaken. 

BOULANGER (aside). 

Muttering, and then 
Abstracted : my devil's venom courses 
Through her veins ; another stroke, and 
She is mine. (Goes to her) Miss Alice, 
Though forsaken, your plight is not a 
Hopeless one : deserted but not disgraced. 
Many a foolish maid has swapped her heart. 
Just to look into lovely tantalizing eyes. 
And listen to soft speeches ; suffered for 
The temerity, and lived to laugh at 
Her folly, safe in the keeping of one 
Who really loved her. I am for the present, 
Your loyal knight : it will be easy to 
Love me, when you cease to distrust me. 

ALICE. 

It is cruel of you to address me so ; 
My heart is sad, I loathe the name 
Of love ! 

BOULANGER. 

But in the days to come. 
His baseness proved, my virtue verified. 
Should storms again arise, will you make 
This fond heart, your haven of safety? 

ALICE. 

Oh I don't know, I cannot promise : — perhaps. 
I am very faint — and dizzy. 

BOULANGER. 

You look pale, 
Are far from well ; you tremble — totter ; 
Let me support you, help you to a seat. 
(Enter Servant.) Some one has called to 
See me, who is it? 

servant. 
Lawrence Montague: — 
He waits outside. 

BOULANGER. 

Here, this lady has 
Swooned ; help me to convey her to some 
Vacant chamber. (Removing Alice they return.) 
Now go and send a maid to her at once, 
She needs one of her own sex ; and then 
Admit Mr. Montague. (E.vit Servant.) 



18 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



The cards rarely turn up as we call them, 
But the astute man learns to make the 
Most of the ones that he gets. Alice's 
Coming and her swoon, I had not counted 
On; but how to use it? that is the 
Question ; let me think : — to make him believe, 
She comes here often on secret assignations. 
He'll credit almost anything, for he is 
Framed as artless as the azure elements. 
Over his sickly love, this very night 
This foul lie shall cast a withering blight. 

(Enter Montague.^ 

BOULANGER. 

Ah, Montague you are come in happy time. 
That I may ease a heart o'erflowing with 
Gratulations : my dear friend, felicity 
And joy ! 

MONTAGUE. 

Nay, do not congratulate me, 
But condole with me. 

BOULANGER. 

Why what a brow, 
For the day before your marriage ; man : 
Ah, I see, you weary of your toy, already? 

MONTAGUE. 

No, I love her yet more, if that were 
Possible. 

BOULANGER. 

You love, are loved, will wed 
To-morrow, and still are unhappy: such 
An anomaly in adoration, is hard to 
Fathom, please explain the riddle? 

MONTAGUE. 

Having gained my pardon, and the hand 
Of my sweetheart, at one stroke, being 
Anxious that my best friend might share 
In the joy, I sat down and wrote you 
The facts, without details. 

BOULANGER. 



Came duly to hand : 
For gladness. 



That epistle, 
I laughed and wept 



MONTAGUE. 

That was about two weeks ago : 
Since that time I have been treading on 
Air, and eating the ambrosia of flowers ; 
Until about an hour ago I sat musing 
Over the ceremony to-morrow, in blissful 
Ignorance of impending evil, when the 
Door opens, and enter a process-server 
With this bombshell. 

BOULANGER. 

A mandate from a court! 
An order to show cause ! — What is it? 

MONTAGUE. 

A rude breaker of day dreams : read — read 



BOULANGER (reading). 
"Whereas, it has been brought to the attention of 
this court, that Lawrence Montague, contemplates 
an immediate marriage, when there is reason to be- 
lieve that as a convicted felon. He is legally incapaci- 
tate to enter into such a contract. In order that the 
female contracting party, may be saved from the 
unfortunate results of a mock alliance, the said Mon- 
tague is enjoined and prohibited from any further 
action in the premises, and is cited to appear at 
this court on the morrow, to show cause why this 
injunction should not be made permanent. Publica- 
tion left with the petitioner. Petitioner, George 
Washington." 

BOULANGER. 

Upon my soul, 'tis like a mortal hurt, 
For me to know of this. 

MONTAGUE. 

You may hardly 
Imagine my distress. — Strange to say. 
Your letter asking me to call came soon 
After. 

BOULANGER (aside). 
Not at all strange to me. 
For this cunning brain devised the whole 
Foul plot; and even the just Washington 
Was fooled : strange ? Yes, that distorted 
Truths, can make the instruments of virtue. 
Aid the schemes of vice. 

MONTAGUE. 

You are moved? 
No wonder. Well I wanted to break the 
Harsh news to Alice, that she might no 
Longer dwell in a fool's paradise, so 
Scribbled a few words, which no doubt like 
My thoughts, lacked coherence. Then to 
The barber's and from there here. 

BOULANGER. 

No doubt 
You are puzzled to know the reason of 
My hasty summons. 



MONTAGUE. 



Quite naturally. 



I must say that I am : 



BOULANGER. 

Alternating between 
Ridicule of my fears, and vague alarm 
For your safety, I at last sent for you. 
To assure myself that you were still free, 
And to warn you of imminent peril : but 
Alas that paper removes all hope ; the 
Dread bolt which I feared, has struck you. 

MONTAGUE. 

You knew of it before ? 

BOULANGER. 

Well not exactly; 
But I had it on the best authority. 
That a lewd scandal had come to the 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



19 



Ears of the Chief Executive : a vile 
Attempt to lead a young girl from the 
Path of virtue: that Washington, furious, 
Had vowed to save the innocent thing, 
From the despoilers. The actors in the 
Plot are not just known, but rumor says 
The names of Aaron Burr, Jefferson, some 
Others, and 

MONTAGUE. 

My own. 

BOULANGER. 

Alas 'tis true : 
And not strange either ; for what details 
Of the story that have leaked out, fit 
Your own case so closely, that one sand 
Not another more resembles. 

MONTAGUE. 

It were 
Damnation, to cast my Alice in such 
A bawdy play ! 

BOULANGER. 

Just the self-same thought, 
That struck me : and yet 

MONTAGUE. 

Yet what, man? 
A world of venom lurks beneath that, "yet." 

BOULANGER. 

The cases are so remarkably alike, in 
All but one particular. 



Come, out with it. 



MONTAGUE. 

What particular? 

BOULANGER. 



The young girl herself. — 
I am sure I have in mind, the real heroine. 
Of the story. She is young and pretty, 
Works in the war department, where she has 
Been admired and flattered so much as 
To utterly turn her head : some debauchee. 
No matter who, covets to enjoy this 
Rare morsel ; and she it seems is not 
Averse, her reluctance springing alone 
From timidity, so some Sir Pandarus, 
Must be provided in the shape of a 
Cuckold husband ; one who to gain life, 
Liberty, or even filthy lucre, is 
Willing to accept infamy. 

MONTAGUE. 

A strange tale; 
How learned you of it? 

BOULANGER. 

She and her lustful 
Adorers, make this house their rendezvous. 
You no doubt remember that the august 
Monarchial conspirators, met at Miriam's 
Bagnio ; that I asked you to join us, 
But you refused ? 



MONTAGUE. 

I do ; and as that secret. 
Was confided to me in good faith, I have 
Felt in honor bound not to divulge it. 

BOULANGER. 

Well, all the members of that cabal, have 
The free run of my house ; and as you know. 
Amour and ambition are always blended ; 
This maid appears, that this instance may 
Prove no exception to the rule. I found 
That under one silly pretext or another. 
The girl was becoming a regular visitor ; 
Either with escort or alone. Suspicious, 
I smelt a mouse, but what could I do? 
You know I am so deuced affable. 
She is here now, called at three, and 
Now lacks but an hour of midnight : 
I'll not put up with the imposition longer; 
I shall at once forbid her the house. 

MONTAGUE. 

But stay : — what has all this to do 
With me. 

BOULANGER. 

Why, my dear fellow, don't you 
See it yet? you are slow to-day to 
Apprehend ; it seems clear as crystal to 
Me : these scandal-mongers have got you 
Engaged to the wrong girl. 

MONTAGUE. 

By heaven! 
I never thought of that : I believe you 
Have hit it. 

BOULANGER. 

Some senile fools there are. 
Who in persistent dotage of some fair, 
But frail one, having been supplied with 
Sweets, must needs but brag of it; then 
Dame rumor takes the amour up and whispers 
Names and social ties : your pardon and 
Betrothal, have furnished food for gossip 
Too : out of such strands, wagging tongues 
Can weave an incongruous story ; and such 
A one has come to the ears of Washington. 
Get a little out of sight ; I will give 
You a glimpse of her. 

MONTAGUE. 

Excuse me, I pray; 
I have no desire to see the poor thing. 

BOULANGER. 

Oh, she's quite harmless ; besides you know 

You are no longer susceptible. (Exit Boulanger.^ 

MONTAGUE. 

If his guess prove right, I can see a 
Ray of sunshine through the murky clouds. 
Rumor rarely gets things altogether right : 
This error exposed, an amende honorable 
Will follow. But the silly girl; I feel 



20 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



Sorry about her. The moth will ever thus, 
Flutter 'round the candle, not content 
Until its wings are singed. 

fBouLANGER and Alice appear at the arched door 
and converse in dumb shoiv.) 

My God, Alice ! — 
Start eyes from your spheres, and cheeks 
Pale with horror ! It cannot be my Alice ; 
There must be — there is — some mistake : 
And yet to doubt it is to question the 
Efficiency of sight. (Droops in dejection.) 
I remember now how strange she acted, 
Upon the mere mention of his name. 

(Alice leaves and Boulanger approaches.) 

BOULANGER. 

Why what's the matter, man? You are ill? 

MONTAGUE. 

Never mind me : you have told me some 
Foul lie about that girl ; she has too 
Sweet a face to be a strumpet. 

BOULANGER. 

Lawrence, 
A harsh speech to a friend : you will regret 
It upon reflection. 

MONTAGUE. 

Give me their names : — 
Death, you shall expose them ! these curs 
Who tempt the young and innocent. 



BOULANGER. 



If you are so insistent : Aaron Burr, 
And your patron saint, Jefferson. 



Oh, well. 



MONTAGUE. 



Jefferson ! 



No, no, he could never sink so low. 

BOULANGER. 

What more natural? Jefferson with all 
His ability and learning has but one 
Passion. 

MONTAGUE. 

Passion ! — 

BOULANGER. 

Insatiate ambition; 
The love of power : craves the Presidency. 
Burr craves a crown, has vast political 
Influence, but is fond of love intrigues; 
And just at present covets a fair one. 
Whom Jefferson controls ; so he has sold 
Tlis kingly aspirations, for a mesS of 
Petticoat pottage. 

MONTAGUE. 

Damnation ! prove this. 
Beyond a doubt, and I swear to rid the 
Earth, of such a foul blot : if those who 
Hold the seat" of •power,- can use it thus-. 



Law dies, and the murderous and vengeful 
Arm, dispenses justice! 

BOULANGER. 

Zounds! dear fellow, 
Why should you be skeptical about an 
Everyday occurrence in political corruption : 
You have seen the girl ; I have seen her, 
Together with the parties mentioned, and 
Heard them talk it over : what better proof 
Could you have than that? — unless of course 
You question my veracity. 

MONT.-VGUE. 

I scarce hear; 
There is a tempest in my soul, whose noise 
Could drown the thunder. 

BOULANGER. 

You are distressed; 
Then why not become a loyal knight to 
Injured innocence; join our band, now 
Meeting in an adjoining room, who propose 
This very night to kidnap Jefferson, and 
Imprison him in some out of the way place. 

MONTAGUE. 

I am with you body and soul : — but I must 
See what a walk in the lawns can do to 
Restore my composure : the air seems stifling. 
And my senses reel. (Exit Montague.) 



BOULANGER. 



Start, 



From the covert woods, poor deer, but on 
Thy track the bellowing hell-hounds come, 
Sure of their prey ; but not more sure, 
Than, Montague I am of thee. (Exit.) 

(Enter Aaron Burr.) 



Boulanger's mansion ; the splendid quarters of 
Treason : and o'er these tiled marble floors. 
The while I stalk — methinks there rings from 
My heels the triumphant sounds of victory ; 
And the magnified shadow of this resolute 
Form, rises threatening to the massive dome 
Of that sentinel of liberty and equality, 
Independence hall, across the way. 
In that old Hall, that cradle of liberty. 
The young child is being rocked, which 
Grown to manhood, may become Immanuel's 
Prototype; and make the world by far 
Too good, for those of us who delight 
More in evil ; and therefore I, or some 
Other man", "miisf Herod-like arise, to 
Kill the aureole while in its infancy. 
Among the costumes made for- Nations, how 
Shall we be appareled ; in the imperial 
Purple,, or the democratic sackcloth? 
Which is best, which is right? — Right, — 
Is that which is boldly asserted, and 
Plausibly maintained ; then though patriots, 
Yea, angels, plead for a republic, here;. .... 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



21 



The might of our armies, and the sophistry 
Of our contentions, must and shall make a 
Kingdom, palatable. 

(Enter de Morny. ) 

DE MORNY. 

Burr, are you the only conspirator arrived? 

BURR. 

Yes, the others are late. 

DE MORNY. 

Then being late, 
I must invoke their instant presence. 
Traitors, patriots, officeholders, looters; 
Culled from authority's choicest classes : 
Who covet more from their much getting; 
Appear thou ! — Appear in the likeness of 
The anarchist, whose one idea of content, 
Is discontent ; or an alderman, who grows 
Fat off his own ordinances ; or a legislator, 
Who has waxed rich by breaking quixotic 
Lances against statutory windmills. 

BURR. 

Hush, if they come in and hear you, it 
Will surely anger them. 

DE MORNY. 

Pshaw, why they are 
Not wicked men of the Borgia type : your 
Real conspirator, will quake, and change 
His color ; choke off his breath in middle 
Of a word ; and again begin and stop again ; 
As though he were distraught, and mad with 
Fury; but these genteel cut-throats, love to 
Feed, sleep and dress well; and are timid 
As to personal safety. 

(Enter Boulanger with Senators, Ambassadors, 
Notables, etc. (and a group of Hirelings, Rene- 
gades, Assassins, who remain apart); they 
mingle together a minute in dumb show.) 

HAMILTON. 

Well, gentlemen, now that we are together. 
Let us proceed to business : what has 
Been done, and what have we yet to do? 

boulanger (showing paper). 

When we last met, our treaty with the 
Royalists of Europe, only lacked our 
Signatures; now the instrument has been 
Signed and sent to Paris : we have here 
A copy, which must be sent by trusty messenger. 
To General Dreyfuss ; who has pledged that 
Upon its receipt, he will march towards 
Our Capital, reducing all obstacles by 
The way. To allay the chaos thus bred, 
The federalists, (who are almost supreme) 
Will insist upon the choosing of a King : 
Burr will be that King; you and 1, my lords. 
Form the first Council : so much for the 
Chore of our great scheme. 



conspirators (in chorus). 

Bravo ! Bravo I 

HAMILTON. 

The existence of such an infamous paper. 
Has been it seems with intent kept from me. 
I will gladly use force, stratagem, cunning. 
What you will — for all weapons are alike fair. 
In love or war : but to make a treaty with 
A foreign power, to use the army of that 
Power, against my countrymen ; — that I 
Will not sanction. 

burr. 
Then let us continue. 
Without the coward : besides, he'll never 
Follow anything, that other men begin. 

HAMILTON. 

Withdraw that epithet, sir, or prepare 
Yourself for bloody business. 

BURR. 

I take back. 
Nothing ; my voice is in my sword. 

(They fight and Burr is disarmed.) 

BURR. 

Hamilton, 
Chance has enabled you to humiliate me 
This time ; but we will meet again, when 
Vengeance will be mine : you have reason 
Sir, to dread our next meeting. 

HAMILTON. 

The future, 
Is yet to be made ; the present compels 
Me, Gentlemen, to take my leave. (Exit.) 

FIRST SENATOR. 

Good-bye, and good riddance to him ; for 
He was like to prove a stumbling block. 
To all our plans and projects. 

SECOND SENATOR. 

I believe. 
He would have proved a safer counselor, 
After all ; for how can we expect glory. 
To spring from the chaos of civil strife. 
Or pride to be augmented by the flash 
Of muskets and the roar of cannon. 

FIRST SENATOR. 

List you ! 
How oft amidst thick clouds and black doth 
Heaven's all-ruling Sire, choose to reside. 
His glory unobscured, and with the majesty 
Of darkness round cover His throne ; from 
Whence deep thunders roar, mustering their rage, 
And Heaven resembles hell. 

THIRD SENATOR. 

How about Jefferson? 
Shall no hand be raised to strike him down? 
Amongst the despised apostles of human rights; 
Known by the name of Democrat or Republican, 
He is perhaps the greatest. 



22 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



SECOND SENATOR. 

Yes, he above 
All the rest, in shape and gesture proudly 
Eminent, stands like a tower ; and on his 
Face alive with intellect, deeply graved, 
Sits deliberation, public care. 

BURR. 

Mark me, 
No attempt must be made on his life. 
Humph, shall we barter the mighty space 
Of our large honors, for the vulgar name 
Of assassin? 

THIRD SENATOR. 

Those lusty cut-throats there ; 
Hired for our more bloody and brutal work ; 
Might kidnap and confine him in some place. 
Until our schemes bear fruit. 



We'll discuss. 
That problem at more leisure. — The loyal 
Miriam, knows a courier, tried and true, 
To deliver this precious document to 
General Dreyfuss. This paper lost, we 
Are like to lose our heads ; and where great 
Faith must be reposed, a woman's wit. 
Is better than man's cunning ; so we had 
Best accept her proffer. This courier, 
Will be here shortly. — Let us go aside. 
And debate our business in regular assembly. 

(Exeunt all but Boulanger into the back Parlor, 
and the sliding doors are closed, shutting them 
from, the view of the audience; exits to and 
entrances from this room are made through a 
small ornamental door, cut in the sliding doors.) 
(Enter Courier and Servant.^ 

servant. 
You say that you are the courier, spoken 
Of by Miriam Loomis, and you were to 
Call at this hour for an important paper? 

courier. 
Yes ; and here is a letter from her, which 
Vouches for me. 

servant. 
Well, remain where you are, 
I will deliver your letter and message. 

(Servant goes to back Parlor and knocks, door is 
opened, servant delivers message in dumb show, 
and returns.) 

Be seated, some one will be out shortly. 

(Exit Servant.) 

COURIER. 

Now Cometh exultant success, or abject 
Failure : if they give me the paper to 
Carry to General Dreyfuss ; a copy of 
A treason treaty with a foreign faction. 
Against this government, signed with their 
Names, I will hie with it at once to 



Jefferson ; and with this damning proof his. 
Good-bye to conspiracy and conspirators: 
But supposing they reject me as a bearer. 
What then ? great heavens ! I dread to think 
Of it. 

(Enter de Morny from back Parlor, with his mouth 
full of pie, a small pie in his hand, and an Am- 
bassador.) 

de morny. 
I asked you to come out with me. 
In order that we may discuss the pate. 
Or as they call it here in America, 
The small pie. How think you it stands? 
What is its place amongst the rarer dainties? 

ambassador. 
And it was to talk of such a light trifle, 
That you coaxed me out here. 

de morny. 

Light! say you? 
If your pie crust has not baking soda, 
And shorten, in proper mixture, it is 
Like to prove a HEAVY job on your hands: 
A much harder affair to be rid of, than 
Any puzzle that arises in political intrigue. 

ambassador. 
Bah, a man with his brain full of sublime 
Ambition, has no chance to talk of pie. 

DE MORNY. 

Pooh, a man with his mouth full of pie. 
Has no chance to talk of sublime ambition. 

ambassador. 
Well, I will back to our friends; when 
You have gorged yourself to satiety. 
You can follow. (Exit Ambassador.) 

DE MORNY (to Courier). 

Hist, be wary. — What would they do to me. 
If they knew that I, the Sieur de Morny, 
Wrinkled and cadaverous, in seedy clerical 
Attire, with periwig, was a secret service 
Detective in disguise? 

(Takes off wig, and replaces it.) 

COURIER. 

Your life would pay the forfeit. 



Tell Jefferson an attempt is to be made 
To kidna:p him, one hour after midnight — 
Boulanger, at his own request, has been 
Picked to instruct the kidnappers, and 
Start them on their nocturnal enterprise, 
And in his evil hands, it may mean murder : 
Not to fail to change his quarters to the 
Archaeologic Room of the War Department; 
Taking his armed Guard with him. — 
They half suspect Miriam, but I guess they 
Will let you carry the paper to Dreyfuss : 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



23 



Don't wait too long for it : once in your 
Keeping, away with it to Jefferson ! (Exit.) 

(Re-enter Montague.) 



This man is evidently a spy : was told 
When he got a paper, to take it at once, 
To Jefferson : if there was more said, 
That is all I heard : I will lay low. 
And see what he is up to. 

(The Courier is beckoned to from the door of back 
Parlor, and handed a packet; the door is then 
closed.) 



The precious parchment, 
Is mine at last ! hermetically sealed, 
And carefully superscribed : aha, but 
It will never reach its destination. 
(Reading address.) "Gen. Louis Dreyfuss, 
Commander army of France, Colonies of 
North America." 

(Montague coming from behind, confronts the 
Courier.) 

MONTAGUE. 

Give me that packet. 



An impudent demand : who are you ? 

(They grapple, and Montague gets paper.) 

MONTAGUE. 

Another word, and I'll expose you to 
Those inside : I hate thee spy, because 
Of him thou servest, but spare thy life. 
For this new sword, as yet unstained with 
Human blood, is virgin to thy master. 



To remain here longer, it seems, is not 
Discreet; so without more ado I'll leave. 

(Exit Courier.) 

MONTAGUE. 

I'll put this letter in my pocket : 
What part it was meant to bear in their 
Schemes, I care not; it sufficeth that I 
Have kept it from him whom I despise. 

(Exit Montague into Gardens.) 



(Enter from back Parlor Boulanger and five 
Assassins.) 

boulanger. 
It has in solemn synod been decreed, 
This very night to kidnap Jefferson ; 
But there is one without, made desperate 
By wrongs, who vows his death. That he 
May commit this crime and suffer for it 
The death penalty, is my desire, for he 
Is the very devil in my path : and such 
Proceeding holds you free of blame. But 
Should he hesitate or quail at the last, 
Then you yourselves kill them both ; or 
At least kill him; for better Jefferson 
Alive, than he. Do you find yourselves so 
Constituted that you may promise this? 

first assassin. 
My Lxjrd, such business is our trade; 
And we do well, for those that pay us well. 

boulanger. 

Well said, my man ; and as an earnest. 
Of still greater sums to follow, I give 
You these gold coins. 

ASSASSINS. 

My Lord, you have 
Bound us to you forever. 

boulanger. 

Your leader. 
Waits outside ; I will call him to you : — 
Montague! halloo! ('£n/fr Montague.) 
Lawrence, here are five stalwart men, to 
Aid you on your vengeful visit to-night. 
To Jefferson's home : and five trustier men, 
Ne'er handled the pistol or stiletto. 
Now all of you go out into the Gardens ; 
I have sent a man to view the house. 
And arrange a plan of action ; when he 
Returns I will send him to you. 

MONTAGUE. 

My veins, 
Are on fire ! and nothing will allay the 
Fever, until my dire work is done ! If men, 
Will play magic oriental sorcery with 
The hopes of men, let those who with 
Their sleight-of-hand, evoke an evil spirit. 
Beware, lest at times they raise a fiend I 

(Exeunt.) 



24 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



ACT III 



Scene I. — Philadelphia. Library and Study (large) 
fefferson Mansion. 

(Jefferson and Monroe discovered. Stephen, a 
Servant in the background.) 

JEFFERSON. 

So, at the Capitol and other places, 
Where politicians most do congregate. 
They speak of me by opprobrious names ; 
And say that I wish to remove the barriers 
Between the patrician and the plebeian? 

MONROE. 

Yes, they call you a demagogue, who caters, 
To the common people. 

JEFFERSON. 

Common people. — 
There arc no common people ! — All men, 
Arc but the image of a common Maker ; 
Born with the unalienable right to life. 
Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 
If they have lost that divine nature, it 
Is because of tyranny, oppression, and 
Other wrong; or that they have been falsely 
Taught ; or worse, not taught at all. 

MONROE. 

Invest 
Me with authority, give me chance to speak 
My mind, and I will through and through. 
Cleanse the foul body of the infected state. 
If they will patiently receive my doctrine. 

JEFFERSON. 

James, you are a doctrinaire : you have a 
Theory of government, which you maintain 
With wondrous cogency ; perhaps in the future, 
When your wisdom has been seasoned, some 
Monroe doctrine may become famous. 

MONROE. 

■Alas, 
My present humble status in the sphere 
Of politics hardly betokens that. 



JEFFERSON. 



But 



You are young, only 35, and able beyond 
Your years ; and for that ability I chose 
You counselor: in the ripe rewards which 
Hope offers to the aspiring mind, there 
Is some rich prize for you : you may yet 
Be Secretary of State — yea President. 

MONROE. 

Never, even in fancy, did I soar so high. 
The President of these United States sits 
High on a throne of royal state, which far 
Outshines the wealth of Portugal or Spain, 
Or where the gorgeous east with richest hand 



Showers on her kings barbaric pearl and gold, 
For he is raised, not by divine right, but 
By the people's sovereign will, to this great 
Eminence. 

(Stephen, zvho has gone out, returns with Miriam 
Loom IS.) 

JEFFERSON. 

My faithful Miriam ! 
Hist Stephen, no one saw her enter? 

STEPHEN. 

Not a soul, sir. 

JEFFERSON. 

That is as it should be; 
This band of traitors, must not know that 
The mistress of the rendezvous where they 
Meet nightly, is our emissary. 

MIRIAM. 

The courier, 
Has he come — have you got the paper — 
The proof of their guilt? 

JEFFERSON. 

Not yet, but 
I pray we may, and quickly, for we are 
All drowsy ; and hope deferred, maketh 
The heart sick. But you are agitated ; 
What ails you? 

MIRIAM. 

Oh, I fear for your life : — 
Awful threats are made against you nightly : 
To-night, a little ere they started for 
The meeting at Boulanger's house, Burr and 
The other leaders having gone ahead. 
This band of wine crazed assassins, in the 
Pay of Henri Boulanger, swore to have 
Your life this very night : their actions 
Filled me with alarm ; a vain half hour 
Struggle with my dread, and then I start 
To warn you. 

JEFFERSON. 

There, Miriam, don't fret. — 
Zounds ! by the soldier's heart that once 
Beat beneath these statesman's robes, I will 
Beard this band of silk-stockings, and their 
Paid cut-throats, in the gilded den. 

MIRIAM. 

Madman ! 
You shall not go into such deadly peril : 
What hope for one amongst so many? 

JEFFERSON. 

Hope? 
No plight can conquer a brave man's heart : 
Yea, as when lured once, to the ambush, 
Of the redskin foe, I clove my passage, 
Through a sea of plumes ; that adorned the 
Warriors heads, and marked their degrees 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



25 



In the hierarchy of fame. Reach me that 
Sword, Stephen, — not that delicate blade, 
For ball room ornament — that broadsword ; 
Such a weapon as Coeur de Lion used, when 
He drove the Moslems from the Holy- Land :- 
Once, naught but a plaything in my trained 
Hand, but now awkward for lack of practice ! 

(He lets the sword drop in despair.) 

STEPHEN. 

But there's another instrument, which you 
Are now master of, more potent than the 
Sword. 

JEFFERSON. 

What is that? 



That magic tool. 
With which you wrote the immortal 
"Declaration of Independence" — the pen. 

JEFFERSON. 

True ! — take away the sword ; it but began 

The world's work; (Stephen hangs up sword.) 

Take up the pen ; for it must finish it. 

(Jefferson takes up pen.) 
The soldier and the statesman : — 
The soldier, armed to the teeth, with a 
Heart inured to bloody thoughts and deeds. 
Sudden and quick in quarrel ; ever seeking 
New lands by conquest. 
The statesman, chock full of wisdom, with 
A heart full of patriotism and love, slow 
To quarrel, quick to be reconciled; and 
As the love of justice bodies forth the 
Form of laws unknown, the statesman's pen. 
Turns them to statutes, and gives to 
Divine principles, a local habitation 
And a name. 

MONROE. 

Hark! 
The ring of a horse's hoofs — a pause ; 
A mounted man has stopped before the house : 
See to it. (Exit Stephen, others expectant.) 

HOGARTH, the hunchback (solus). 
A man on horseback, calling at this hour 
Of the night : — they are so eager to see 
Him, that they don't suspect my entry. 
I'll hide me here, and spy upon them : 
Boulanger and Burr pay well for secrets : 
And O ho ! this knotty soul of mine. 
Doth treasure up some grudges. (Hides.) 

JEFFERSON. 

Ah, welcome avant-coureur ! 
Forerunner of the doom of traitors ; you 
Have come at last, bearing a document, 
In which we have reason to hope that 
Treason's agents, have wrote down with due 
Regard to periods, and subscribed their 
Names, to their own death warrants. 



COURIER. 

Alack, 
Scoff at me, condemn — imprison me; I 
Stand disgraced. 

JEFFERSON. 

They spurned your offer? 
They suspected — they gave it not? 



HE, . 
Aaron Burr, with his own hand he gave it. 

JEFFERSON. 

Hosannas! we have got it, we will soon 
See what it contains : out with it. 

COURIER. 

Hear me, 
Your honor, and then dismiss me, even 
With an arbitrary use of power, to some 
Dungeon. 

JEFFERSON. 

Hah, recreant ! you think to 
Make some lame excuses : be brief. 

COURIER. 

Armed, 
With the letter of credit from Miriam, 
I sought Boulanger's house at the hour 
Appointed, was admitted to the parlor : 
From the rear room came the muffled sounds 
Of angry voices ; heavy footfalls from 
The heels of ill-shod men ; and once a 
Shrill cry of "Death to Jefferson." 

JEFFERSON. 

Mark, how the devious path of crime. 
Compels the fastidious aristocrat, to 
Mingle with the boor. 



In a moment your spy, 
De Morny, came out on the sly and said : 
"Tell Jefferson that they are going to 
Kidnap him, at one hour after midnight : 
Boulanger has asked to be in charge 
Of the renegades, and in his evil hands. 
It perhaps means murder : not to delay. 
But go at once with his armed Guard to 
The archaeologic room of the War Department. 

JEFFERSON. 

Speak not of ME, the NATION is in peril ! 
The dispatch, man,— the dispatch ! 

COURIER. 

Was 
Given me soon after ; handed through the 
Slightly opened door: I read the address, 
O joy! — to Commander in Chief, French Army, 
In American Colonies, General Dreyfuss. 

JEFFERSON. 

Hah ! so General Dreyfuss has turned traitor, 
To the Republic of France, and gone over 



26 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



To our common enemies, the Royalists of 
America and France : so methought, as I 
Have had secret evidence to that effect. 
Now there is danger ! imminent danger ! 
The already mighty monarchial cohorts, 
Reinforced by the French army; with this 
Country long at peace, and therefore no 
Standing army to oppose them, God knows, 
What may happen. Every territorial section, 
Has its volcano, and all peoples have 
Their Vesuvius of unbridled appetites 
And passions ; and we sleep lazily on. 
When the conflicting elements are almost 
Evenly balanced in the struggle for 
An eruption. That paper, were our salvation ! 
You had it ; where is it ? 



I know not : it was 
Taken from me by one of the band. 
I had scarce read the address, when lo! 
Muscles of steel gripped me from behind, 
And wrested the packet from me ; 
And before my startled sight appeared. 
The stalwart figure of an armed man ; 
Who said in substance, I know you, spy; 
And ought expose you to the Cabal : I 
Spare your life, for the first blood that 
Stains this sword, — will be Jefferson's. 
Your life, sir, is in great danger. 

JEFFERSON. 

MY life! 
I bade thee grasp that packet, as thy honor : 
A jewel, whose loss may cause the sacrifice. 
In civil strife, of whole hecatombs of lives ! 
Begone ! — redeem thy reputation as a sleuth — 
Back to Boulanger's, to Miriam's — anywhere — 
Regain the packet, or crawl on from youth 
To age, and know that from a lack of skill, 
Thou hast failed in that which had saved 
Thy country, and made thee famous. 



COURIER. 



From you, to light me 
I'll not fail again. 



One smile, 
back to triumph : 



JEFFERSON. 

Failure is success. 
Boy :— from mistakes like yours, men have risen. 
To be Chiefs of Police. Try again ; and 
May success crown your effort. 

(Exit Courier and exit Hogarth, from his hiding 
place.) 

Eager, ardent, bright, willing — but young. 
I love the young ! — for as our deeds do 
Not ripen, in our own time, but in the 
Race which follows us ; so from the young. 
My soul mirrors the image of many a 
Patriot, supporting the creed of Jefferson. 



MONROE. 

May the saints grant that your prophecy. 
Of the lofty place that this broad land, 
Is destined to take among the Nations, 
Shall prove true. 

JEFFERSON. 

Yes, for sweet America ! 
Heaven grant it ! O my country, for thee, 
And thee only — though skeptics believe it 
Not — are toil arid terror my familiars : 
I would make thee great and fair : I would 
Make these broad lands on this side old 
Ocean, common pleasures, where men may live. 
And re-create themselves : upon thy brows, 
Wreath the conquering laurel ; at thy feet. 
Bowing humbly down, make drudges out of 
Despots : westward the course of empire. 
Takes its way, but empire falls when men. 
Are taught to sway. 

MONROE. 

But this meditated attack upon you. 

Is serious : you must change your quarters, 

At once ; for it would be criminal, not 

To heed de Morny's warning. Don't delay, 

But you and your armed guard start for 

The War Department. By the way, have you 

An armed guard, in this land of simplicity? 

JEFFERSON. 

I have a number of servants, of no mean 
Physical strength, and they have been drilled, 
As they say for emergencies by Hogarth, 
The hunchback, who is Captain.- — Stephen 
Bring him to me. (Exit Stephen.) 

MONROE. 

Hogarth, 
The hunchback : a strange name. 

JEFFERSON. 

A strange. 
Fellow also : but we often find lurking 
Beneath these human monstrosities, some 
Streak of rarest virtue; like a pyrite, 
With a vein of gold. 

(Enter Hogarth.^ 

HOGARTH. 

At your service, sir. 

JEFFERSON. 

Captain ; the efficiency of your bodyguard, 

Will now be put to the test : get them in 

Readiness to accompany me presently. 

I am going to my chamber to prepare 

For the trip : when you are ready, inform me. 

Stephen, I need your help : come Monroe : — 

And Miriam, you 

MIRIAM. 

Will leave for my home. 

(Exeunt all but Hogarth, who goes to the open 
window and whistles softly and a man enters.) 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



27 



INTRUDER. 

Whew, you kept me waiting, 
A long time. 

HOGARTH. 

You were sent here to find 
Out from me, when Jefferson had retired ; 
And the easiest way for the men to get 
To him; were you not? 

INTRUDER. 

That's it precisely. 

HOGARTH. 

Well, in order to furnish you with that 
Wee bit of information, — the conjunction 
Of the stars not being propitious for the 
Exercise of the black arts which nature 
Gave me to match this gnarled body, — 
I had to wait, — and watch: — the result, 
Jefferson is warned of the danger. 
By a courier on horseback, and attended 
By some lusty servants, myself amongst 
The number, leaves very shortly for the 
Archaeologic Room of the War Department, 
To spend the night. 

INTRUDER. 

Who was this informer? 
How did he get wind of it? 



Bodyguard in another part of the building. 
So far away that they can be of no use. 
When that has been done, I will go outside 
And whistle : then you can do the business. 



Can I answer. 



HOGARTH. 

Neither query, 



I will back to Boulanger, 
With the news : — the scene must be shifted ; 
The kidnapping will be done from that place. 
But how to get in ? that's the question — 
And there's the janitor. 

HOGARTH. 

A few members, 
Of the Cabal, hold big places in the 
War Department, and at least two of these. 
Have keys : your band must go there, enter. 
Overpower the janitor; and one of them, 
Change clothes with him and take his place; 
While the rest conceal themselves and wait, 
For Jefferson's arrival. 

INTRUDER. 

An excellent plan; 
And we will follow it to the letter. 
But, one thing — he is like to get there. 
Ahead of us. 

HOGARTH. 

Leave that part of it to me : 
It is now about a quarter past eleven : 
I will see that he does not get there, 
Until twelve : that will give ample time. 
For you to put the gang on the right scent. 
And have them get there and prepare for him. 
Under some pretext, I will bestow our 



INTRUDER. 



Your whole plan is admirable, and I 

Will leave you now in order that it 

May be put in operation. (Exit by window.) 



Thus do I ever make my purse my god ; 
And take crooked methods to replenish it. 
I must get hold of that Dreyfuss paper : 
It's a far richer treasure, than the goose. 
That laid the golden eggs : both sides need it, 
And once mine, it goes to the highest bidder. 
Humph, some think this hump upon my body. 
Doth make my mind less wonderful and fine ; 
Forgetful of the fact, that what mortifies 
The flesh, but stirs the soul to greater love. 
The only way to wean fairest creatures. 
From their infatuation for graceful forms, 
Is to tempt them through cupidity : therefore, 
I must have gold, in generous quantity. 
I'll take a course of dancing lessons. 
And study fashions to adorn my body: 
Once crept in favor with fair damsels, 
I shall maintain it with some little cost. 

(Exit.) 

Scene II. — Archaeologic Room of the War Depart- 
ment, the same as before, except that 6 cap-a-pie 
(complete from head to foot) armors, stand at 
one side, five of them in a group at rear, and one 
at front: they represent the armors worn by 6 
great Kings of ancient times: Montague, secreted 
in the front one, lifts up his visor. 

MONTAGUE. 

Here stand I, encased in the armor. 
Of King Richard the III. ; with thoughts as 
Bloody, and heart as cruel, as that arch 
Tyrant ; for Thomas Jefferson dies to-night, 
And by this hand. Hogarth, the Captain of 
His bodyguard, just turned traitor, revealed 
The secret of his coming here to spend 
The night, to escape our visit to his home ; 
But he will find us here before him. 
This armor, borne upon my stalwart form. 
Now stands free from its support behind, and 
When I step down from this solid pedestal, 
(As did the exquisite marble statue, fabled 
Galatea, from hers), Jefferson will rub 
His eyes and swear that this dull form 
Of brass and steel, has suddenly become 
Endowed with life. (Steps from pedestal.) 
A lovely night ! — a fleecy cloud here and 
There, and all the rest a heavenly blue. 
Adorned with its patines of bright gold : 
On such a night, methinks the soul should 
Be at peace with all the rest of human kind: 
Not till the skies are full of sharp lightning. 
And the dread thunder claps, might one commit 



28 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



A murder. — Luna is now hid from my sight : 
This horrid deed doth deaden my conscience. 
As yon brief vapor doth obscure the moon : 
Ere either shadow shall have passed away. 
The mighty must be ashes. (Listening.) 
It is he — I hear him coming : now to stand 
On the pedestal ; close my visor ; and await 
The signal. 

(Enter Jefferson. He sits down and takes up a 
book.) 

JEFFERSON (reading). 
"A stateman's worth is written in the 
History of his country." — So sayest thou. 
Sage and venerable moralist. Let me then 
Ever continue to proceed upon the 
Theory that all men are created free. 
And equal. — Sublime equality — thou art. 
The Patriarch's legacy, showing us the 
Way to earthly paradise ; urged on by 
Minist'ring angels ; — but alas ! we see thee 
Yet, but in our dreams ; by the first stages — 
Just rising o'er the earth. — When I am dust. 
Shall my name shine through the future years, 
A patriot and a liberator : adding one more 
To that galaxy of stars, scanned by astrologers, 
From their mystic laboratories, to find their 
Powers, benign or evil, to fix the destinies 
Of men. A patriot is more than a citizen : 
The patriot's keen eye, intensified by love, 
Eager scans all phases of his country's laws ; 
To discern imperfections and impurities : 
As Galileo from the heights of Fesola, 
Through optic glass once viewed the moon; 
To descry new lands, rivers or mountains. 
On her luminous face. To shape the future. 
We must scrutinize the past ; and avoid the reefs. 
On which the ships of state, have foundered. 
The heaven inspired statesmen's agencies, 
The status quo ; and the entente cordiale : 
(Respect for properties, and love of men) 
Fills the world with peace and prosperity : 
But when territory limits are maintained, 
Alone by standing armies ; the glory of 
The nations is obscured : — as when the sun, 
New risen, looks through the horizontal 
Misty air, shorn of his beams ; or from 
Behind the moon in dim eclipse, disastrous 
Twilight sheds on half the terrestrial globe. 
And with fear of change, perplexes rulers. 
(A pause.) As an apostle of the 
Gospel of the elevation of the masses, 
I am the centre of combustible forces, 
That take in the world : a single mistake, 
An act of bravado, or an act of cowardice, 
May bring ruin on the land : for behind, 
The seemingly serene political skies, 
Is the gathering tempest. — 
Added to this acute sense'of responsibility, 
Is the dread of the assassin : they mean 
To have my life ; if not to-night ; some 
Other time. The sombreness of my feelings, 
Makes these armors of the world's great kings, 



Haunt my sight like so many spectres. 
This one, with its brass cuirass and greaves, 
Is that of the murderous Richard : — the 
Cavernous eyes seem full of speculation ; 
And the hand that grasps the dagger with 
Which he slew the Princes in the Tower, 
Might well belong to the living. — Pugh ! 
I must shake off this gloom : I'll spend 
A minute on the balcony. (Exit.) 

(Enter Hogarth. 

HOGARTH. 

I must make a desperate try. 
For that packet ; before I give the signal. 
I had almost lost hope, but Jefferson was 
Kind enough to go out on the balcony : 
But he may return in an instant. My mother, 
Who was a witch, told me the only rule, 
To reason by, was "Reductio ad absurdum." 
From the probable — let me reduce the 
Problem — to the absurd : the packet must 
Have been taken from the courier, by a 
Cutthroat, and not by a member of the Cabal ; 
The cutthroats are all here ; they may have 
Removed their coats : absurdity — the coats 
Are here, with the packet in one of them. 
Hidden away behind these armors, are the 
Coats, sure enough — and here the packet : — 
Marked General Dreyfuss : eureka ! I have it. 
Now, when Jefferson returns, I can give 
The signal. (Exit.) (Re-enter Jefferson.) 

JEFFERSON. 

The silvery splendor of the skies, 

Is quenched in an universal inky pall : — 

The darkness is provocative of gloom. 

(A whistle is heard, as from the street, and Mon- 
tague starts to descend.) 

(Enter Alice.) 

ALICE. 

You here ! — I am very glad ; 

For I need your care now. Father. 

JEFFERSON. 

Alice ! 
Here at this late hour ! — and pallid face. 
And eyes still flushed from wept tears. 
Young maid, what is thy cause of sorrow ? 

ALICE. 

Oh, my heart is full of despondency. 
Doubt and fear : but I am safe ; now that 
I am with thee. 

JEFFERSON. 

Safe ! thou fragile flower. 
Why, in the violent storms that come in 
Life, the wind may blow and rend the trees ; 
But leaves untouched the perfume-breathing 
Violet. 

ALICE. 

That man — why did I love him ? 
Clinging to a breast, that meant not shelter. 
But betrayal. 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



29 



JEFFERSON. 

Come Alice, you must cheer up : 
These lovers' quarrels are a fixed episode 
In courtship : but are you sure you really 
Love him? 

ALICE. 

Love him ! — oh, be still my heart ! 
Love him I did — how fondly — would women, 
Were my listeners now, for they might know. 
Forever fled my dream ; farewell to it — 
All is over. 

JEFFERSON. 

The pathway that leads to 
True love, is never smooth and level ; 
But rough and steep, and hard to follow. 



By fainting : when I came to, I was in 
A boudoir, seated in an easy chair, 
With a servant in attendance. Boulanger 
Returned in ten minutes, and I left ; 
Being importuned by him to enter the 
Parlor on my way out. Distracted, I 
Walked for miles up and down the streets ; 
Then came a mad longing to visit here — 
Where the flower of hope first budded. 

JEFFERSON. 

This is a problem hard of solution. 
Do not pass judgment yet; or think of him, 
Too harshly: for like the jealous Phaedra, 
Thou mayst wrong thy Theseus. (Reflects.) 
There is but one thing to do. 



True love, cannot long abide with baseness. 
Listen : at 10 o'clock to-night I received, 
A shocking note from Lawrence that our 
Wedding must be postponed, at least for 
The present. Full of vague terror, I sought 
Him at his apartment ; where my agitation 
Was further increased by seeing a letter 
From Henri Boulanger, asking him to call 
At once; as I always feared that man. 
I went to Boulanger's house : in answer 
To my query, he said Lawrence had not come ; 
And then assailed his honor; expressed 
Solicitude for me, because of his attentions : 
While on his demon handsome face insult. 
Appeared more loathsome from its false mask 
Of pity. 

JEFFERSON. 

I would not believe that knave, 
Under oath. But the cruel letter to you : 
Why postpone your marriage? — What followed? 



I accused him of slander; he retorted 
That he spoke of what had been told him : 
I questioned his truthfulness, and dared 
Him to repeat anything : then he said that 
Lawrence had told him that he didn't love me ; 
Never expected to wed me ; but courted 
For pastime, — and — thou canst interpret shame, 
Read it in my face, for I cannot speak it. 

JEFFERSON. 

And you believing this man unworthy 
Of credence, yet felt that he might have 
Stated the facts, because Lawrence had 
Already awakened misgivings by his . 
Painful communication? 



Exactly so: . 
And the sad remembrance of what seemed, 
To be fickleness on a former occasion. 
Having avouched his friend's falseness ; 
Then, in heartfelt words he told me of 
His own regard ; and implored a return. 
I was too dazed to refuse outright. 
But was saved from further xoqipromise, 



What is that? 

JEFFERSON. 

To see Montague. 

MONTAGUE. 

Montague is here. 
Has heard Boulanger's lie, and denies it. 

ALICE. 

Great heavens ! Lawrence ! 

JEFFERSON. 

Montague here! 
And covered with a coat of mail. May I 
Ask the reason of this strange conduct? 

MONTAGUE. 

I came here to kill you. 

JEFFERSON. 

To kill me ! — 
Are you crazy man ? for what ? 

MONTAGUE. 

For nothing: 
Unless the base lies of a cowardly villain, 
Be something. I now beg your forgiveness ! 
Boulanger accused you of unnatural conduct; 
But Alice's story has revealed his baseness : 
There's no support to the scoundrel's lies, 
Except the court injunction. 

JEFFERSON. 

What injunction, 
Lawrence ? 

MONTAGUE. 

A paper served on me to-night ; 
Whose purport I at once made known to Alice, 
In a few scribbled lines ; where the court, 
On the petition of the President, has 
Cited me to appear to-morrow to show cause, 
Why its forbiddance of my marriage, 
Shall not be made permanent. 

ALICE. 

The law, then, 
And not your spent affection, forbade our 
Union— you love me still? 



30 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



MONTAGUE. 

Couldst doubt it, 
Alice? — and yet I must confess I doubted 
You : but of that more hereafter. 

JEFFERSON. 

Washington, 
The petitioner ! — that explains a letter, 
I got from him yesterday, to deliver 
To the bearer, (a lawyer's clerk) all the 
Papers in your case. 

MONTAGUE. 

Now for the devil's lie, 
That drove me mad. Boulanger told me of 
A scandal, which had come to the ears of 
Washington, that Burr was enamoured of a 
Maid whom you controlled ; that a bargain 
Had been struck between you, to provide the 
Girl with a husband as a cloak for Burr; 
That the silly creature had agreed, and 
Met Burr and you at his house to talk it 
Over : she was there then, came hours ago : 
Then he left me, and returned soon after 
To the arched entrance of the parlor. 
With Alice. 

JEFFERSON. 

That villain, that modern lago. 
Who stands very high with the President; 
As in fact he does with all, (who do not 
Really know him) has with a mass of lies. 
Backed up by some truths, so set Washington 
Against you, that your life is in danger. 
By the revokal of my pardon : — but I 
Will save you. 

MONTAGUE. 

Save! — dreadful alternative: 
Save — thyself; for this very room swarms 
With my confederates in thy murder. 



JEFFERSON. 



ALICE. 

Look ! the armors are alive ! 



Where? 



JEFFERSON. 

Hush! 
Silence the woman : a shriek — a cry — 
To arouse their suspicion that we mean 
To give an alarm— will startle from its 
Panther-pause the horrid murder ! We are in 
A desperate strait, and must use our wits. 
To get out of it. My band, — we ought 
Bring them to our aid, with a yell in 
Unison. 

MONTAGUE. 

Hogarth, has stowed them away. 
Beyond the reach of hearing. 

JEFFERSON. 

What, Hogarth! 
Has he turned traitor? 



MONTAGUE. 

Yes it was he, 
That put us wise to your corning here. 

JEFFERSON. 

Well, there's the janitor. 

MONTAGUE. 

Bound and gagged, 
And his place taken by one of the assassins. 

JEFFERSON. 

Although the lion's skin is a trifle short, 
We can use it with the help of the fox's : 
Be bold — until we get a chance to run. 



MONTAGUE. 



How? 



JEFFERSON. 

We cannot get past them to escape. 
By the main entrance ; but there is a door. 
Place yourself in a threatening attitude 
Towards me ; and I will back to that door : 
Alice must follow — screaming: once there, 
We will rush through and lock it behind us. 
Are you ready? 

MONTAGUE. 

Yes. (They reach the door.) 

JEFFERSON. 

Alas, the door is locked ! 

(A hoarse murmur arises, and the five men con- 
cealed in the armor advance menacingly.) 

FIRST ASSASSIN. 

So you thought you would escape by the door? 
And it was locked ; as we had seen to that. 

SECOND ASSASSIN. 

And here have we waited ourselves tired ; 
Wanting to give the slow-poke a fair chance, 
To do the sticking; as he is a duflfer. 
At the business : and then he goes and tries. 
To give us the slip. 

FIRST ASSASSIN. 

Well that ends him ! 
Our instructions were, if Montague didn't 
Fix Jefferson ; that we must fix Montague : 
In either case our pay to be the same. 
It is better this way anyhow, for Jefferson, 
Is too big game ; and were we to kill him. 
We would surely swing for it. 

ASSASSINS. 

Down with him I 
Down with Montague ! 

(They advance on him, two of them with pistols 
leveled at his face, and at a signal "Now" they 
both fire, and Montague falls: Alice screams 
and falls upon him, and then faints: Jefferson 
bends quickly down and scans his face, then 
looks solemnly to heaven.) 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



31 



HOGARTH (eavesdropping). 
The job was well done : 
Those fellows are masters of their art: 
Boulanger will pay well for this ; I'll see 
Him in the morning at Miriam's. (Exit.) 

FIRST ASSASSIN. 

The deed, 
Is done ; no further wounds, can make it 
Deadlier : now to make our escape before 
They bag us. (Exeunt Assassins.) 

Scene III. — A Court Room: — the hearing on the In- 
junction. A jew Lawyers, and some Spectators 
present. 

(Enter the Courier.) 



The defendant be added to the records. 
And the case closed. 

JUDGE. 

It is so ordered: 
And the clerk is instructed to obtain 
A copy of the certificate of death, and 
File it with the other records. 

(Enter Montague and his Lawyer.) 

MONTAGUE. 

O, let me — 
Let me but meet him face to face ; I'll 
Split in two his venomous heart; — albeit 
The presiding dignitary of this court, 
Shall o'er him cast the ermine ! 



Women, after all, are the best detectives. 
Eve, (harmless as a dove) was no match 
For the wily serpent: her sex to save life; 
Were forced to learn of the snake's cunning. 
In despair over the loss of the packet, 
I went to Miriam ; and she told me not 
To lose sight of Boulanger; that the thief, 
Would yet return the packet to him; (if 
He had not already done so). I have 
Spied upon him at his house, and when 
He came out followed him here. Pluck and 
Patience, and I'll yet be Chief of Police. 

(Cry of "The Justice of the Court." Enter the 
Judge, preceded by a court officer: all those 
present arise and remove their hats; the Judge 
bows and takes his seat.) 

JUDGE. 

In the matter of the people through a 
Petitioner— versus — Montague. 
Permanent injunction prayed for. 

LAWYER. 

Your honor, 
Is probably aware that the morning papers, 
Contain the following news item. (Reads.) 
"Word was received at Police Headquarters, a 
little after midnight, from a reliable source, of the 
death of Lawrence Montague, at the hands of 
assassins. Further details were suppressed for the 
present, in order to facilitate the detection of the 
guilty parties." 

JUDGE. 

I saw it to my amazement. — 
The petitioner sought to restrain this 
Defendant from fulfilling by ceremony, 
A marriage contract which he had entered 
Into with Miss Alice Stanley : but no 
Action by this court is now necessary — 
A higher Court hath intervened. 

LAWYER. 

Your Honor, 
I ask that the fact of the demise of 



Silence, sir: 
Don't you know the court is in session ? 



MONTAGUE. 



I know naught ; I care for nothing ; outside. 
They told me HE was here. 



That he was here: 
Of whom do you speak? 

MONTAGUE. 

Henri Boulanger. — 
Here he comes. (Enter Boulanger) Draw! 
Thou defamer of chaste girlhood. 



My sword 



BOULANGER. 

Is out, but only in defence. 

MONTAGUE. 

Thy crest, 
Is but a spurious emblem of nobility ; 
I'll set my heel upon it ! 

(A few passes and they are separated and seated.) 

JUDGE. 

What ruffian is it, who dares to affront 
The decorum of this place ? 

LAWYER. 

It is Montague, 

JUDGE. 

The dead returned to life! 

SECOND LAWYER. 

Yes, your Honor : — allow me to explain the 
Seeming miracle ; and in such a way that 
Will not violate the police ban of secrecy. 
Montague, was encased in a suit of armor. 
With the visor open ; he was attacked by 
Five assassins, two of whom fired their 



Your Honor. 



32 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



Pistols at his exposed face : he felt his 
Only hope was to fall, and if he escaped 
The shots, to lie still as if struck and 
Mortally hurt : fate made his strategy sure, 
For he was not quick enough, and the shots 
Struck the armor on the top of his head, 
And he lost consciousness ; the blood at the 
Same time trickling down his face from the 
Impact of the metal with his scalp. His friend 
Believing him dead. 

JUDGE. 

A natural inference. 

SECOND LAWYER. 

Notified the police : and on his revival, 

Sent them word ; but the papers went to press, 

With the error. 

JUDGE. 

A very romantic story: 
Told more often in the drama and novel, 
Than in real life. 

BOULANGER (aside to lawyer's clerk). ' 

Go to the War Department, 
And tell them that Montague is here, and 
To send two soldiers with the warrant and 
Arrest him. (Exit Clerk). 

JUDGE. 

The fact that he is alive. 
Brings the action again before the court. 
According to the records before me, the 
Defendant was sentenced by a court-martial, 
To be shot : he made the usual application 
For pardon ; he was set at liberty by order 
Of the President about a year ago ; but 
No written pardon has yet been filed. 
We must assume then this defendant to be 
Free to marry ; with all the other rights 
Of citizenship ; and that failure to file 
A record of the pardon is an oversight. 
The petitioner, who holds the pardoning 
Power, and who seeks to enjoin the marriage, 
Can only prevent it by filing at the 
War Department his written refusal to 
Relieve this defendant from a felony; 
Which action will be an automatic consigning 
Of the defendant to prison, to await 
The execution of the sentence. 



Your Honor, 
Shall we then conclude that the prayer of 
The petitioner has been denied ? 

JUDGE. 

You may. — 
I will not ask the defendant to submit 
Any proofs ; as the ex parte proofs of 
The petitioner, with these added ones 
Filed this morning, are in my opinion 



Insufficient to establish a just ground 
For restraint:- — the injunction is therefore 
Dissolved. (Cheers.) 



We are well satisfied. 
With your Honor's disposition of the case. 
The injunction, had it been continued, 
Would have been of little use ; as the 
President has decided not to pardon 
The culprit, and will to-morrow file a 
Writing at the War Department, to that 
Effect. In the meantime he has ordered 
His re-arrest. (Judge bows to Lawyer). 

(Enter two Soldiers.) 

FIRST SOLDIER. 

Lawrence Montague? 

MONTAGUE. 

Here am I. 

FIRST SOLDIER. 

We arrest you, by order of the President. 

(Exeunt Montague and Soldiers.) 

JUDGE (to officer).. 

The Court will take a 
Recess for half an hour. 

OFFICER (announcing). 

"The Court will 
Take a recess for half an hour." 

(Exeunt all but Boulanger, Lawyer, and the 
Courier.) 

boulanger (to Lawyer, the Courier feigns sleep). 

When I read the Newspaper this morning, 
I thought it was useless to appear here ; 
But came as a matter of policy. 

lawyer. 

Egad, 
The Judicial obsequies of the defendant, 
Which promised to be but a tame affair, 
With a few solemn looks and no tears, 
Had a most startling denouement. 

boulanger. 

. Hearken :■ — 
A hunchback, named Hogarth, a servant of 
Jefferson's, who has given me some rare 
Bits of gossip about his master's affairs. 
Is locked up in the United States prison. 
As an accessory in the assault on Montague. 
He writes me that he has a packet, which 
Means life or death to me, and hints at 
Selling it to me, — or some one else. 
Scenting great danger, I sent him word 
I would surely visit him in prison, at 
Two o'clock to-morrow. I dare not go myself ; 
Will you act as my proxy ? 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



33 



LAWYER. 

Certainly : — 
Two o'clock to-morrow, at the Government 
Prison. 



BOULANGER. 



Here is a letter giving you 
Power to act for me. Get the document 
Away from him by cunning — or force — 
If possible : failing that, buy it. 



I understand. (Exeunt Boulanger and Lawyer.) 



Jehoshaphat ! the lost is found ! Hogarth 
Has the missing treasure. Now let me prove 
My skill. Help brain — wit — nerve, — help me 
To regain it. (Exit.) 



ACT IV 



Scene I. — The Gardens of the Presidential Mansion. 
Senators, Ambassadors, and Notables, present: 
some strolling — some seated. 



(Enter Burr, Boulanger, a few other Conspirators, 
and De Morny.) 

boulanger. 

All things favor us : — ^you remember Genet ? 
Edmond Genet ; the envoy of the French 
Republic ; who was sent here to coax this 
Country into a war with England? 



Contained besides the treaty, an official 
Document signed by Senators and others 
High in authority, warning him that the 
Capital, and parts of the United States, 
Were in a state of rank anarchy : this 
Anarchy must exist here, when the packet 
Reaches him, which will be in two days. 
The Genet rabble will gather again at 
Their headquarters to-morrow : our men will 
Circulate amongst them, commit acts of 
Violence, and incite them to mad deeds 
Of riot and revolt. The meeting at midnight 
To-night at my house is to perfect our plans : 
Don't fail to come. 



I do:— 
A rabid demagogue, whose mad ravings have 
Incensed our better classes, and brought 
Him into disfavor with his own Government; 
Which now threatens to recall him. 

BOULANGER. 

To-day, 
A mob in the streets, inflamed by his 
Heresies, became unruly and seditious. 
Harsh cries rose upon the air that if 
Immediate war was not declared against 
The British Isles, the President would 
Be deposed. Washington distinctly heard it; 
And a bitter and disdainful smile curled 
His proud lips. 



And that very incident. 
Is fraught with power ; and we must use it 
To the utmost, by adding fuel to the 
Flames of their revolt. Above all others. 
The one thing that makes our schemes risky, 
Is the people's love for Washington : but 
The glories of the sun are often quenched, 
In the black tempest ; so we can hide 
His fame in the whirlwind of revolution. 

BOULANGER (intensely). 
To give General Dreyfuss, a pretext to 
Bring his army to our aid, the packet 



OMNES. 

Never fear, we will be there. 

DE MORNY. 

Now, fellow members of our august Council, 
Let us talk of something more agreeable. 
Under His Majesty, as one of the Council, 
I shall allow full freedom to violate 
The laws : — of nature. I, myself like to 
Take a drink, whenever I am very thirsty, 
(Which is often) ; and eat a half a dozen 
Times a day. 

CONSPIRATOR. 

You will make a better glutton, 
Than a counselor. 

OMNES. 

Ha, ha, ha ! 

BURR. 

Silence ! here comes Washington. 

(Enter Washington.) 

WASHINGTON. 

Welcome friends ! — Alas since I have been 
President, friends are becoming dearer, 
For I am making so many enemies. 
You have heard of the riot this afternoon? 



34 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



Yes, your excellency : — delighted that 
You take it so calmly : your brow is placid, 
It has left no headache. 



And called by the Federals in derision, 
"Democrats." As the leader of that party. 
All their shafts are leveled at my head : 
Defeat me and my party falls, they think. 



WASHINGTON. 

No, for I look 
At it as a philosopher. In all countries. 
And at all times, it is easy to gather, 
A huge army of discontent and complaint. 
The wide world is filled with men, who 
Atlas like magnify their helpful burdens, 
Until they become a world upon their shoulders. 

BOULANGER. 

But in the light of to-day's mad turmoil. 
Can this system of government, stand forth. 
Without a blemish? 

Vl^ASHINGTON. 

With all the anathemas. 
That have justly been launched at Kings, 
We have still this painful truth to add, 
That Republics are ungrateful. Not the less. 
Our task is a heaven appointed one : for 
We must not only hold what hath been gained, 
For liberty ; but find a new and loftier. 
Conception of that term. History tells that 
The mighty kingdoms of Macedon and Rome, 
Are now divided into innumerable lands ; 
So, the wealth, power and rights of Kings, 
Must descend, rich legacies, to many heirs. 



Exactly ;— but not bequests from the Kings, 
But from Parliaments : who take the estates 
Of Kings, and share them among the people. 

WASHINGTON. 

Now that we are with nature, let us eschew 
Politics. I am weary of this war clamor. 
The acrimony of parties, the long debates 
And tedious delays of Congress : come now. 
Let us wander to and fro among the flowers. 

(Exeunt.) 
(Enter Jefferson and Monroe. ) 

JEFFERSON. 

Monroe, I almost despair of the Republic. 

MONROE. 

Despair of the republic ! — why so ? 

JEFFERSON. 

Because the odds against us are too great. 
The mighty Federal party, now in control. 
Of the government, are mostly royalists, 
They long for, and mean to have a King : 
And who are to oppose them? why a party. 
Of great worth, small as yet but growing. 



Of course, — Achilles down, the Grecian 
Cohorts flee. 

JEFFERSON. 

There is no one of power, 
Who will aid me, except that patriarch 
Of the new world, the peerless Washington : 
But the antics of the Frenchman Genet, 
An agent here of the reign of terror, 
Has prejudiced him against republicans; 
And the tricky royalists who surround him, 
Have made him think that I am a disciple 
Too of Robespierre, and therefore unsafe. 
Hear this from a daily paper : "It is 
Reported that the President may ask for 
The resignation of the Secretary of State." 



You are beset on all sides by powerful 
And bitter enemies ; but your cause is just, 
And may yet triumph. 

JEFFERSON (to himself). 

For Alice's sake. 
Even at the risk of an open rupture, 
I must plead to him for the life of 
The brave young soldier. 



(Enter Alice.) 



Heaven be praised! 
He must be safe, or this sworn friend. 
Would not seem so composed. 



JEFFERSON. 



Brings you HERE? 



What trouble. 



The servant at your home, 
Told me you were here. Where is Lawrence? 
The speech that trembles on your ashen lips. 
Is choked by pity. If harm come to him. 
Infamy blots forever your fair fame : 
Think, — by the cruel attempt on his life. 
Your own was saved ! 

JEFFERSON. 

Be patient my child. 



Child no more : I love, I suflfer. 

And I am become a woman : — loving, suffering. 

What else doth make a woman's heritage ? 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



35 



JEFFERSON. 

You are Jefferson's ward, a soldier's love: 
Such a girl, can hear the truth, and never 
Quake with fear: — you ask me for your lover? 
There — where that gloomy mass of stone, 
Lowers amidst the city, like a black cloud, 
In a clear sky, — there in the federal prison. 

ALICE. 

God help me ! (She droops and is supported.) 

(Re-enter Washington and Boulanger; the 
Conspirators following apart.) 

'WASHINGTON (reading a letter). 

"One long weary day has passed without a sight of 
you. I would almost lose hope did I not remember 
that we will soon be united never to part. As ever, 

Alice." 
This letter from Miss Stanley, came to you, 
Some time ago. 

BOULANGER. 

Yes, about two months ago, — 
Being less endearing, I picked it out 
From some others. 

WASHINGTON. 

It seems the emanation. 
Of a pure hearted girl, and breathes much 
Devotion to you. These tempters have wrought 
Sad havoc with her innocence. 

(Jefferson approaches.) 

JEFFERSON. 

Sir, you see this young lady, drooping under 
A burden of sorrow, too heavy for her 
Young shoulders ; torn, even at the altar. 
From the man she loves ; a soldier, sentenced 
To death, and with your consent freed and 
Put on probation, and after one year, 
(Well had he stood the test) pardoned by me. 
For my sake ; if not for mine — for hers, — 
I pray you to approve that action. 



WASHINGTON. 



But, 



Your judgment in that case was very bad : 
All the rest of the guilty suffered ; 
Then why not he ? 

JEFFERSON. 

Simply because the deed. 
Was committed not through malice but his 
Youth's mad folly : he sought not nor foresaw. 
The sad ending : besides, he has recently 
Made me his debtor ; so deep as to my 
Very life. 

WASHINGTON. 

If what is told me is true. 
You will, in spite of honor, go still 
Farther in his debt. 



JEFFERSON. 

Lies, sir, from a knave, 
Whose lips are as full of poison, as was 
Lucrezia Borgia's ring. 

BOULANGER. 

Does he mean me. 
Your Excellency? 

JEFFERSON. 

If the shoe fits you, 
It must be yours. 

BOULANGER (aside). 

A very palpable insult: 
I dare not resent it at present. 

JEFFERSON. 

Sire, 
Your brightness has drawn around you. 
Many men of title, wealth, and power. 
Whose secret aims are inimical to the 
Life and peace of this republic. Perhaps, 
Your more elegant satellites may serve 
You best ; I measure not myself with them ; 
Yet sometimes doubt whether vain dandies, 
Paped and nursed at the thrones of Kings, 
Could give your primal rule, its present 
Glorious policy. 

WASHINGTON. 

Traitors among my friends! 
Oh, you are like the Genet mob to-day, 
You people the void with your own phantoms. 
There is no doubt that you are sincere ; 
But are you safe? that is the question. 
You need a sane man to keep you in check ; 
For you would clear with a leap the gulf, 
That divides the apostle and the agitatof ; 
The republican and the revolutionist; 
A democrat and a demagogue ; 
A zealot and a fanatic. 

JEFFERSON. 

New light. 
Shed on old truths, is first always viewed 
As heresy : the spread of good is offensive, 
To those who profit by evil. — I have 
Ever been to you a faithful servant ; 
Nor have I fawned for smiles, or begged 
For favors, like some that move about you. 

WASHINGTON. 

Why so haughty ? remember he that makes. 
Can too unmake. 

JEFFERSON. 

You cannot erase the past. 
You may strip me of office, break off 
Our friendship ; but my name — ^my deeds — 
Are forever indissolubly linked with 
The name of Washington ! 



36 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



BOULANGER. 

Discharge him, now; 
He won't be missed : the great man dies, 
Yet the morrow comes again, the rivers 
Still flow on, just the same as ever. 
He is but the moon and you the sun ; 
Your glory shines on him, and he reflects it : 
An opaque body like myself for instance. 
Would glow as brightly from a borrowed beam. 
When he ceases to be your protege, he will 
Soon sink into oblivion. 

JEFFERSON. 

That MY stake ;— 
Ah, deep gamester, what is THINE? 
Look to it well ;- — lose not a single trick ; 
Or else that Judas head will soon adorn 
A gibbet ! 

(Exeunt Washington, Boulanger, and Con- 
spirators, the last scornfully.) 



Lost ! 
My Lawrence is lost ! I thank you Father ; 
Mercy was your plea : may heaven soften. 
The President's hard heart ! 

JEFFERSON (detaining her). 

Whither away? 
Stay yet awhile. 

ALICE. 

Fie ! I should be there now ; 
Stay me not ; I love him — and he is "in 
Distress : I must to yon grim prison. 

JEFFERSON. 

Justice, 
Ofttimes thy decrees are cruel. Those cells. 
Have held of prisoners a multitude : — 
Had THEY fond sweethearts or wives too? 
Yes, — and virtues and vices like us all. 
This young maid and her prisoned lover. 
Is of humanity but a sorrowful phase. — 
Go not to-night, you would not be admitted : — 
Think not that those iron bars open to love : 
Only for the LAST FAREWELL, love enters; 
And then amidst tears renews the blessed 
Ties of life; while just outside, impatient. 
Waits the executioner. 



I do not apprehend you ; 
But no wonder ; anxiety has dulled my 
Senses : the few cuts dealt you here, were 
Harmless : they may snub you, scorn you, but, 
You are still mighty ! 



Lady, the Secretary, 
Is but the servant of the President : 
With him opposed he can do nothing: 
While we speak, the merest tyro of Ward 
Politics, is not less powerful than the 
Secretary of State. 



I am but a woman ; 
And women's concern with public affairs. 
Is yet limited : but my woman's wit says, 
That the overthrow and debasement of a 
Man like him, means ruin to the land ! 

JEFFERSON. 

And yet the wind is calm, the sky is clear; 
Nor from the globe's ceaseless revolutions. 
Start no portent to warn the unheeding world: 
Albeit, to-night, and then another sun. 
May bring with it the great Republic's fall ; 
And carry consternation to remotest lands, 
Into the hearts of freemen. — Thy lover's 
Fate and thine ; my country's fate and mine ; 
Are interwoven threads. — Why weepest thou. 
Thoughtless woman ? in my vast warp of care. 
Millions such strands exist 1 



To weep, standing, 
Alice, is a double tax upon your strength : — 
Sit here, awhile. — Ah, there come musicians : 
We'll listen to an air, and then depart. 



O, that they might play a solemn dirge : my 
Heart-strings are attuned to none other key. 

(Music: and the scene becomes animated. States- 
men in full dress; Ambassadors in gorgeous 
uniforms; Ladies in rich attire; Young Ladies 
and their Beaux, promenade. Music ceases.) 



O mercy, save him ! 
You can — you must save him ! Are you not 
State Secretary ? — the Lord of peace and war ; 
Beneath whose light, as ocean tides beneath 
The sun, the solemn policies of nations, 
Ebb and flow ? — art thou not Jefiferson ? 

JEFFERSON. 

Yes, I was — but that was yesterday :■ — 
Snubbed and defied to-day ; I know not 
What to-morrow. 



The statesman; the diplomat; the lover. 

One, rapture finds in the multitude's applause; 

That is the statesman : the diplomat, chock 

Full of vanity, struts like a peacock. 

In a uniform of spangles ; the lover's soul. 

By Cupid's arts deluded, sees Helen's beauty. 

In the girl he's courting. — 

Thus doth that sly trickster, inclination; 

Lead each one by the nose, a different way. 

To the far off goal of happiness. 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



37 



ALICE (rising). 

Alas! 
When joy meets joy, more pleasure it does borrow; 
When grief meets joy, grief adds unto its sorrow! 

JEFFERSON. 

Now, let's away: — Such merrymaking 
Endeth only with the day. 

(Exeunt Jefferson, Monroe, and Alice, as music 
starts again.) 



Scene II. — The Government Prison : a wide Corridor 
in the centre, with Cells on each side. Montague 
is seated in a condemned cell reading; Hogarth is 
pacing the corridor. 



Boulanger's tool, will be here shortly ; 
And then my precious Dreyfuss packet, I 
Will see what ransom you will bring me, — 
A man needs money always, but he needs 
It most, when he is in jail; for justice. 
Though blind, can yet see the outstretched 
Moneyed hand. — In that cell, there is a 
Poor devil, who is soon to be executed. 
That is the condemned row : this row is 
For those awaiting trial ; and I its inmate, 
Am allowed upon the corridor. I have ever 
Longed to be a notorious criminal : 
Not a blackguard who stabs in a quarrel ; 
But one who does crime for wealth and power. 

(Enter through the corridor Gaoler, and De 
Morny : Hogarth retires into his cell.) 



Your interview with the condemned man. 
Must be a brief one. 

(De Morny is admitted into cell; the Gaoler 
remains outside.) 

DE morny. 

Montague, you are no doubt nonplussed 
To find a reason for this visit ? 



MONTAGUE. 



I must confess that I am. 



De Morny, 



DE MORNY. 



You remember, 
Our dice game at Miriam Loomis bagnio? 



MONTAGUE. 



Yes, very well. 



You always considered me, 
To be a bona fide conspirant against 
The republic? 



Yes. 



DE MORNY. 



I am no conspirator. 
But a secret service detective. (Removes wig.) 



You astound me ! 



MONTAGUE. 



DE MORNY. 



Quite naturally. — Montague, 
To set you free, and to complete the 
Damning proof against the Cabal, we must 
Get hold of a certain dispatch ; addressed 
To General Dreyfuss, of the French Army. 
I come to you, as it is known that you 
Were at Boulanger's house when this packet 
Was delivered to a courier, a spy in 
Our employ, and was taken from him by 
An unknown man. 

MONTAGUE. 

I, myself, was that man. 

DE MORNY. 

You were ! 

MONTAGUE. 

I heard him mention 
That it was destined for Jefferson ; 
And at the time, I hated that very name, 
Ingrate that I was. 

DE MORNY. 

Never mind that, now : 
Joy ! the packet, — let me have it. 

MONTAGUE. 

I cannot: 
I put it in my pocket, and — it is gone. 

DE MORNY. 

Perdition ! gone I — you put it in your pocket. 
Then what become of it? 

MONTAGUE. 

Is a mystery : 
I took no store by it, but cannot fathom 
How it got out of my pocket. 

DE MORNY. 

That packet, 
Would have saved you : it was proof of treason. 
Against the Government ; and the detection. 
And arrest, of the plotters, would have made 
The President so grateful to Jefferson, 
That the grant of a pardon to you was 
Sure to follow. — Now all seems lost ! 
But one desperate hope remains. 



MONTAGUE. 



What is that? 



38 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



DE MORNY. 

That the President may act upon the proofs, 
I gave him this morning, that Boulanger, 
Is plotting to get you out of the way. 
Because he loves Alice ; and hopes to take 
Her over to France, where a mock marriage, 
Will be performed : and that he is already 
Married. 

MONTAGUE. 

Married ! — to whom ? 



To the woman. 



DE MORNY. 

Who passes as his sister. 

MONTAGUE. 

To the depths. 
Of that man's villainy, there seems no 
Bottom. 



DE MORNY. 



-farewell ! 



I must leave you now,- 
My prayers are yours. 

(Exeunt De Morny and Gaoler.) 

(Enter Boulanger and a Guard: Guard remains in 
the rear of corridor. 

BOULANGER. 

The President, in a whimsical mood. 
Asked me to be present at the execution. 
I can better shape my face to artifice. 
Than to these lugubrious occasions. 
However, the melancholy event will not 
Be all gloom, for Alice will be here. 

(Enter Alice.) 

Alice ; — Miss Stanley. This is a solemn, 
And very sad event ;■ — you have my sympathy. 
Cheer up ; you will not be friendless, Alice, 
Even though you lose friend Montague. 

ALICE. 

Were you ever his friend ? 

BOULANGER. 

Indeed I was, 
And would be still, did I not love you. 

ALICE. 

Oh do not speak of that. 

BOULANGER. 

Why should I not? 
I am young, well born, and brave as Montague : 
And can give you all that, which is to 
Young souls, most dazzling ; wealth, position, 
A splendid palace in sunny France ; where, 
In the company of singing birds, and 
Odorous flowers, you will forget the past. 
Promise me that after some days devoted, 
To buried hopes, you will sail with me ! 



I will not listen further. At your home, 
When plunged in despair by your falsehood, 
I heard your hints without remonstrance : 
But now you stand revealed in your true self : 
I would sooner die, than ever marry you. 



BOULANGER. 



These are wild words : — stop and consider : 
You may — you will, yet change your mind. 



Never ! — when Lawrence dies, the world dies : 
Then, with fond affections froze, warm heart 
Congealed to ice, and renouncing my friends, 
My joys, yea, my religion; I'll find mayhaps 
Associates as cold and passionless as I, 
In the dark confines of the convent's 
Everlasting winter. 

BOULANGER (aside). 

Disposed to be shrewish : 
I'll find a way to tame her. — Excuse me ; 
I must speak to the Gaoler. (Exit Boulanger.J 



My heavy heart weighs down my body : I 
Will sit here on this bench. 

(Enter Lawyer and Gaoler.) 

GAOLER. 

Might I ask in what capacity, 
You come to visit Hogarth? 



I am a lawyer. 



Ah, I see, his adviser; and you come 
By appointment? 



Yes, at his own request, 
I was to call about this hour. 

GAOLER. 

Enter : — 
As he has the freedom of the corridor, 
We leave the door unlocked. 

(Lawyer enters cell and is lost to sight: exit Gaoler.) 

(Enter Jefferson and Clergyman.) 

JEFFERSON. 

Forgive me, Alice ; I have been tardy, 
I own it ; and such sorrow as yours can 
111 brook delay. 

ALICE. 

Oh, I knew that the 
Prison office would detain you. 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



39 



JEFFERSON. 

In truth, 
I did but await this Reverend gentleman : 
Who comes to temper stern justice, with 
Sweet mercy : to soothe Lawrence with the 
Rites of the church ; and to send his soul. 
Upon its airy flight, galvanized with a 
Pious blessing. 

CLERGYMAN. 

Love, smitten by iron bars : — 
And thou art she, on whose young shoulders, 
Falls this weary weight of woe. My child. 
Only from heaven above comes relief. 
Or consolation springs, for such a grief. 

GAOLER (just entering). 

My friends, I'll admit you to the condemned. 
Surfeit your sorrows : but remember, be brief. 
The hour is almost here. 

(Gaoler and the others enter cell.) 

ALICE. 

Lawrence ! 



MONTAGUE. 



Alice ! 



(They cling together.) 

JEFFERSON. 

See, Sir, true love triumphs over adversity. 
The heart that loves, no cruel bolt can bind. 
And when to dungeon fond loVer is consigned. 
The flame in his mate's breast, burns brighter. 

CLERGYMAN. 

Heaven does not always send woe in wrath ; 
Sometimes it strikes because it loves. 
Sweet picture of faith and trust, thou wouldst 
Almost persuade justice to sheath her sword. 



Nay, I cannot lose thee ; thou art my sun. 
Put thy light out, and all is darkness. 

MONTAGUE. 

Weep on, my love ; for every pearly drop 
That falls, makes thee less of woman, 
And more of angel. 



Come, the prayer; 
The church's last comfort to the prisoner. 

CLERGYMAN fKNEELINGJ. 

Pray to the Lord, 

In secret, and He will reward you openly. 
Kneel, young man, and offer up a silent 
Prayer to that Throne, where true penitence. 
Takes the place of expiation. 

(Montague kneels by the Clergyman; they pray 
silently.) 



(Enter Courier and a Jailor.) 

JAILOR. 

Son, you wish to see the prisoner, 
Hogarth? 



If you please. The poor fellow. 
Is a relative of mine ; — very distant. 
(Aside.) A small lie here is justifiable. 

JAILOR. 

Well, this is his cell. (Looks in.) 
There is somebody talking with him now, 
But you wait here till the visitor goes. 

(Exit Jailor.) 
COURIER (peeping in). 

Confusion, the lawyer ! 

He got ahead of me ; my goose is burnt 

To cinders : this money, would have bought 

The packet from Hogarth ; but the lawyer. 

Is forced in this case to be true to 

His client : — still, in the glorious panorama. 

Which expectation paints for the youthful, 

There's no such thing as failure ! 

No sweet oblivious antidote, ere bore 

Such healing to the distempered mind, 

As that scrap of parchment will medicine 

To my fainting heart : — the country will 

Be saved ; and your humble servant be a 

Police Chief. — I'll keep watch on them. 

(Enter Boulanger. Bell tolls at intervals.) 

BOULANGER. 

Listen ! — that sad and dolorous sound, is 
Montague's death knell : may like fate betide. 
All those who oppose my inclinations. 

(He passes the Guard, who hands him a note.) 

From whence came this letter? — Brought by 
A messenger, I presume? (The Guard nods.) 

(Boulanger opens letter and reads contents.) 

Whew ! — the devil ! a pardon for Montague ; 
Signed by Washington : — what the deuce made 
Him do it ? O, that cursing were not vulgar ; 
My anger then I'd vent in oaths. Most strange. 
That he did not send it to the Gaoler : — 
Enclosed in a plain envelope too ; no seal. 
Her lover to be set free ; it wracks my soul ! 
Shall I destroy it? — no, it is too risky. 
By Jove, I have it ! Noting the envelope. 
Did not contain a scrap of writing, but the 
Address to me, I deemed it unimportant. 
Put it in my pocket, and opened it. 
Some time after : when I read its purport, 
I was distracted, for it was too late 
To save life. Ha, ha ! this is the way, 
I'll fool the President. 



40 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



GAOLER (as Clergyman and Montague arise). 

The signal bell is tolling : please take 
The lady outside. 



What would you do? 
Force me to lay off the snowy laces. 
Of joy, for the raven crapes, of despair? — 
Not to revel in the bliss of satisfied love ; 
But to grovel in the narrow confines, 
And solemn pursuits of the mourner: — 
Alack, I cannot bear it ! (Lovers embrace.) 

CLERGYMAN. 

Come, my child; 
You must leave here ; these rules are stern ; 
There's no gainsaying them : you have only 
One to look to now : He will not desert you. 

(Exeunt Pastor and Alice into corridor.) 

Enter five Soldiers, who line up in the rear.) 

boulanger. 

Alice ; — heed me, Alice : — 
Look! — the executioners! — his doomsmen: — 
It is not too late ; I can yet snatch him 
From the grave. 



And will you : 



ALICE. 

The grave ! — and you can save him I 

BOULANGER. 



I will, upon one condition : 
Swear to be mine. 

ALICE. 

Coward : — that were for him. 
More bitter than to die I 



BOULANGER. 



Well, thy decision, 
Alice? — ^grim death, — sweet life, — according 
As thou answerest. 



Avaunt thou tempter: — 
Thou shouldst grant his life, as a boon ; 
Not as the wage of shame. Be deaf to mercy; 
Make me the victim of your envious hate. 
Of him who thought you friend ; this heart 
Can break, and scorn you : — while Lawrence, 
Leaving forever this sad earth, will wait 
My coming up in heaven ! 

BOULANGER. 

Lady, listen: 
I like intrigue, but I am no scoundrel. 
The ruby in my veins, is of the noblest. 
That France affords ; I loved thee from 
The first sight of those dilating eyes : 
Ambition melted into love, and love faded 
Into thee : I can place you in the shadow, 



Of a throne, — nay, perchance, by the side 
Of the throne itself : — you surely must be 
Susceptible to such a prospect : — hast 
Thou decided? 

ALICE. 

No, no ; that is, I dare not : 
Be merciful, — one moment ; you can see 
How weak I am : — It will avail nothing, 
If I consent : you have not ; you cannot have, 
The power to set him free. 

BOULANGER. 

Look at this : 
I hold his pardon ; — with the right to 
Use it if I will : see here, the signature, 
George Washington; with the seal of the 
United States. 



O, thou blood-dyed traitor! 
Thou shalt not be his murderer ! — tremble, 
I will unmask thee. 

BOULANGER. 

Stop, you do but rave : — 
If you play the telltale, this scroll I hold, 
Shall disappear and be replaced by one, writ, 
Like the tryant Draco's laws, in human blood. 
Here is a gas flame : seek to betray me ; 
And when your lips speak the first word, 
I burn the pardon ! 

ALICE. 

Wouldst thou, vain man, 



Peril thy soul, by such a crime? 



BOULANGER. 



This pardon. 
Was a favor to ME, from the President : — 
Come, — thy election. 



Have mercy, — save him. 
Without this harsh condition. My God, look I 

(Enter from cell into corridor, Montague in the 
custody of the Gaoler: and Jefferson.) 

BOULANGER. 

Yes, there thy lover comes ; 
Led forth by the Gaoler to the place 
Of doom ! Shall he pass by thee to a 
Felons death, when thou canst save him? 

(Alice goes to Montague, and stays him.) 

ALICE (to Boulanger.) 

I yield, vile tempter; I embrace dishonor! 
But I cannot plunge into the dark abyss, 
Without a parting word to Montague : — 
With hollow words to seek to palliate, 
My treachery, — to prepare him for the blow: 
Else the inhuman act will make him mad. 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



41 



MONTAGUE. 

Why, Alice, what does this mean ? 

ALICE. 

Tell me; 
Is not life, — more precious than love ? 

MONTAGUE. 

Life, or love : why life lasts for awhile. 
But love lasts forever ! 



You must not die : — 
I can save you ; and should I not do so, 
This heart of mine, would be a prey forever, 
To the canker of remorse ! — Yes, I am glad,— 
Glad that I made the sacrifice. 

MONTAGUE. 

Why Alice, 
You speak in riddles ; what sacrifice ? 



I,— 

I will be your friend, ay, your devotee ; 
Exalt you to an earthly saint, and adore 
You from a distance ! — Alas, never your wife. 
But another's. 

MONTAGUE. 

Poor Alice, this trouble. 
Has made you delirious : — Not my wife ; — 
Whose wife, then ? 



Henry Boulanger's : — nay. 
Do not seek to dissuade me ; for my resolve. 
Is fixed and irrevocable. 

MONTAGUE. 

A thousand, 
Deaths, rather than see you in the toils, 
Of that villain. Noble woman ! thou wouldst 
Immolate thyself : to save me, you mean to 
Marry him : there is however, thank the lord ; 
A legal barrier in the way : that man, — 
Is already married ! 



Heaven above, married! — 
Can this be true ? — He don't deny it. 



MONTAGUE. 



He, 



Dare not deny it ; because it is well known. 
At the Secret Service. 



If it please you. 



Move on, now. 



BOULANGER. 

Oh, have' it thus, 

GAOLER. 

I have been too lenient : 



You will not, you dare not. 
Murder, Lawrence ! — that man has a pardon. 
Signed by Washington ; I read it : — search him ! 
(BouLANGER bums pardon) Horrors! don't let 
Him burn it ! 

GAOLER. 

Stop ! — what are you burning? 

BOULANGER. 

Too late, now. Just a billet doux from 
A charmer ; whose fair fame might suffer. 
By a search. A pardon : — preposterous, sir ; 
The poor girl labors under a delusion. 

JEFFERSON. 

This man's character is vile, and his 
Actions suspicious. Alice says that he 
Had a pardon ; which is denied by him. 
She is agitated, but could hardly be 
Mistaken : — the ends of justice demand. 
That the execution be halted, until 
This strange episode can be sounded. 



I am sorry Sir, to have to oppose one 
Of your exalted station ; but my orders 
Are severe; I dare not disobey them. 
Without an order from the President : 
The sentence must be carried out on time. 
(Looks at watch.) It lacks one minute : — 
Follow me — 

(Enter from Hogarth's cell the Lawyer, with a 
paper in his hand.) 



The packet ! Yield it traitor ! 
Yield it in the name of the law ! 

LAWYER. 

Hands off! 
Ho there ! a thief ! Help ! help ! 

GAOLER. 

Silence ! 
What is the meaning of this noisy brawl ? 

LAWYER. 

This youth made an unprovoked assault 
Upon me, and stole some valuable papers ! 
Arrest him! 

GAOLER. 

What have you to say to this? 

COURIER. 

This packet contains treasonable matter; 
A plot against the Government. 

GAOLER. 

The deuce! 
How do you know this ? Who are you ? 



42 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



Secret Service man. It is a copy of 
An unlawful treaty; and was sent to 
General Dreyfuss ; but it went astray. 

(Gaoler takes it.) 



Let me see it. 



JEFFERSON. 

COURIER (surprised.) 

Jefferson, here! 

BOULANGER (aside.) 

My lawyer ! — this must be — yes, it is, 

The paper that Hogarth meant. Hold, there ! 

That letter belongs to me. 

GAOLER. 

Oh, stand back, sir. 

BOULANGER (aside.) 
Damnation ! I am ruined ! 



JEFFERSON (reading.) 

"General Louis Dreyfuss, Commander 
Army of France, Colonies of North America. 
Halleluiah ! the Dispatch ! And this is. 
Yes, the young courier. Eureka, my lad! 
Your motto is "Success" — for you there's 
No such word as "Failure." 



I could not fail, 
Sir, when I had your kindling words to 
Light me on to triumph. 

JEFFERSON. 

Now for the contents. 
(Opens the packet and reads.) Great God ! 
Who would have believed that the traitors. 
Would go so far : a Treaty, made with the 
Royalists of Europe ; to have a monarchy here ; 
To seat a King! Signed, 

Aaron Burr, 
Henri Boulanger, 
Harman Blennerhasset, 
Francesco de Miranda. 

And other American and European notables. 
Upon the receipt of which, he (Dreyfuss) 
Has agreed to march on Philadelphia ; 
Subduing all obstacles along the route. 
Furthermore, it is alleged that the Capital, 
And other parts of the United States, 
Are in a state of rank anarchy ! 



A treasure! 
That document is more precious than the 
Fabled gems of rich Golconda : it means 
Death to traitors ; salvation of the Republic ! 



JEFFERSON. 

Strange, that the sad fate of Montague, 
Should bring us here at this opportune time. 

clergyman. 

Providence often brings various agencies 
Together, with miraculous coincidence. 
To frustrate crime. 

JEFFERSON. 

True — and that should 
Teach us the futility of evil. 
The immediate arrest of these conspirators. 
And the reduction of their plots to naught. 
Shall be the chief subject of our thoughts. 
But we have a duty — a most solemn duty, 
To perform, here : to save the life of this 
Gallant young soldier ! I will now despatch 
By a swift messenger, this guilty evidence 
To Washington ; and as a trifling reward. 
For its discovery, implore him to pardon 
Montague. When he sees Boulanger's name 
On the scroll, his heart will incline to mercy ; 
For that demi-devil, hath his sense infected. 
(Starts to go.) I go, and will soon return. 
With the President's answer; in the interim. 
The execution must be delayed. 



Impossible ! 
The time remaining we must count in seconds. 

JEFFERSON. 

Come, sir, you do but increase your repute, 
As a faithful officer, when you add to 
Your other virtues, the quality of mercy. 

CLERGYMAN. 

Be thou deaf to his entreaties; I am 

Of the church; my prayers shall move thee. 



Would that I could grant the boon; but 
Alas, I have no power to do so. 



But, reflect; 
Can you not see that unusual circumstance 
Arises here : something which the law 
Could not foresee and provide for? A pardon, 
From Washington is sure; but we lack a 
Few minutes to obtain it. Are you willing 
To sacrifice this man, and make your life 
One long sad regret? No, no, have mercy! 
And when you stand for judgment at the 
Last trump ; this deed will shine about you. 
Like an aureole ! 

BOULANGER. 

Hah! the bell tolls twice: 
'Tis two o'clock ; the hour set for Montague's 
Departure to the undiscovered country. 
I charge you, jailer, do your duty. 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



43 



MONTAGUE (to Bouhnger.) 

Devil ! 
I look down at thy feet ; but there are no 
Cloven hoofs ; and yet thy attributes proclaim 
Thee devil! 



Let the squad of soldiers, 
March out to the courtyard; the prisoner 
And I will follow. (The soldiers file around until 

the rear gets in line with Montague.) 
Come, sir, fall in. (Montague joins rear.) 

JEFFERSON. 

Power Eternal ! 
An innocent man perchance, must sufifer 
The death penalty ; a precious life must 
Be lost, for the lack of a few minutes ; 
When the most of us are groaning under 
The leaden weight of a superfluity of time ! 
(The soldiers start.) Would to heaven. 
That Washington were here ! 

THE GUARD. 

Halt ! soldiers ! 
Washington IS here. (The Guard takes off hat and 
throws back cloak, revealing Washington.) 

JEFFERSON. 

Your Excellency, here ! 
Why, you appear among us, as by enchantment! 

WASHINGTON. 

Jeffersop, your much amazement, and the 

Startled looks, actions and exclamations. 

Of the rest, are not surprising, when. 

Within a prison's walls, I suddenly appear 

Before you, in the role of a masquerader. 

What prompted me to act thus? 

Boulanger complained of having lost 

His sweetheart, through a vile plot entered 

Into by Jefferson, Burr and Montague ; 

The lewd details of which I will not mention; 

And clinched the charge, by very strong proof. 

In the shape of letters ; which letters I 

Now believe were forgeries. 

JEFFERSON. 

A forger, too. 

WASHINGTON. 

To me this morning, came a Government spy. 
Disguised as a pseudo Sieur de Morny ; 
Who told me that Boulanger was a member 
Of an organized conspiracy, against the 
Government ; and that he was a married man. 
This startling revelation made me doubt. 
The justice of Montague's death sentence. 
De Morny begged me to pardon him; 
I promised to consider the matter. 
To get at the truth, I decided to send 
Boulanger here, come myself, incognito. 
And watch for disclosures. As a pardon, 



Might be needed, I made out one, addressed 
To Boulanger, and put it in my pocket. 
A sudden impulse led me to give the paper 
To Boulanger; and when he burnt it, I 
Resolved to be an actor in the drama. 
That the catastrophe — should be for me 
The prompter's cue — to speak my lines. 
Of mercy — and of pardon. 

JEFFERSON. 

Then you do 
Pardon the prisoner? The Lord bless you. 
For this gracious act of clemency. 
Kneel, my children, and thank the President. 

ALICE (kneeling.) 

Would that I could show you my feelings ; 
To paint in words, the emotion that surges 
Through my heart, as artfully as nature. 
Blues the violet : Then you might see HOW 
I thank you ! 

MONTAGUE. 

I weep, sir; and I perceive, 
That your eyes, too, are moist. Ah, your highness. 
Such tears, are but the dew which falls below. 
From heaven ! 

WASHINGTON. 

Arise, arise, my lovers. 
Go you both forth from this dreadful place, 
And revel in your love. (Boulanger attempts to 
escape.) Stop that man! 

(Boulanger is halted — draws his sword and tries to 
break through the soldiers — is overpowered and 
brought back.) 

GAOLER. 

What shall 
Be done with him? 

WASHINGTON. 

Arrest him, in my name — MINE ! 
The charge : High Treason I 

(Enter De Morny.) 

DE MORNY. 

Ah, I have found, 
Your Excellency, at last. 

WASHINGTON. 

De Morny, here. 
You are the bearer, I am sure, of some 
Important news. 

DE MORNY. 

At our confab this morning; 
When I told you that the conspirators. 
Would meet at noon at Boulanger's house. 
To promote and incite riots in the streets ; 
You ordered me to conceal some spies in 



44 



THE SECRETARY OF STATE 



The meeting room ; that we might overhear them ; 
And get evidence against them, that would 
Warrant their arrest. 

WASHINGTON. 

Well, did you do this? 

DE MORNY. 

By bribing two servants, I was able 
To secrete our men. I myself, mixed with 
The Cabal, and through a series of adroit 
Questions by me, and answers by them, their 
Horrid guilt was proven by their own lips. 
All this evidence, together with their names. 
Spoken in answer to the roll call, was 
Written down by my secreted spies; and then — 

WASHINGTON. 

"And then" — That is the most potent phrase, 
Of all. 

DE MORNY. 

I gave a whistle signal; our men, 
Waiting just outside, surrounded the house. 
And arrested the whole batch. 

WASHINGTON. 

Well done, 
De Morny! This valuable service, shall 
Not go unrewarded. 

DE MORNY. 

Not one escaped; but 
Aaron Burr; and he was not then present; 
We have since learned, that he has fled. 
To the far West — beyond the Mississippi. 

BOULANGER. 

Then, you, the seedy Sieur de Morny; 
The devoted student of geology and insects; 
Were nothing but a treacherous spy? 

DE MORNY. 

That's all— 
And at your service, sir. (Removes wig.) 

WASHINGTON. 

With your proof; 
And the conclusive testimony of this 
Despatch, which the young detective has, 
Almost miraculously, put in our hands. 
The conviction of these traitors, and the 
Meting out to them of a deserved penalty. 
Is almost certain. So much for them. 
We have only left that rebel General, 
Louis Dreyf uss ! What shall be done to him ? 

JEFFERSON. 

The submission by me to the Government 
Of France, of this document, proving his 



Criminal compact with the foes of the 
French Republic, will result in his quick 
Removal from command. He will be lucky, 
If he escape the guillotine. 

WASHINGTON. 

You are right. 
And to dispose of this abnormal fellow ; 
This monstrosity, who commits crime for 
The mere love of it ; let him be locked up. 
To await trial. 

JEFFERSON. 

Hah, base, fallen plotter; 
Thou hast gambled with fate — and lost ! 
Away with him! (Boulanger is taken off between 
two soldiers.) 



Lawrence, do I dream? 
Saved — even at the very brink of the grave, 
To be infolded in these arms. You are mine, 
Always mine! 

MONTAGUE. 

Yes, my sweet one, yours forever I 

WASHINGTON (to Jefferson.) 

I take this occasion, sir, to renew, 
Strengthen, and intensify, that friendship. 
Which always has, and 1 hope ever will. 
Continue to exist between us ; but which 
Of late, threatened to break (as is too 
Often the case), under the severe strain 
Of politics. 

JEFFERSON. 

I thank God, that through 
The trials of these lovers, we have been 
Brought so close together. 
See, your Excellency : (Points to the lovers.) 
See, through lust, avarice, ambition, war. 
Skepticism, selfishness, theft, and disgrace: 
Winding along her rough banks, where these 
Discordant elements foment infernal babel. 
The divine stream of purifying love flows on ! 

WASHINGTON. 

A fine allegory, sir; and besides, that 
Sweet picture, is very significant. 
In these lovers, reunited, we are reminded. 
That man and man ; nation and nation ; and 
Church and state; are forever inseparably 
Blended ; and that true liberty, will never 
Prevail, until they learn to walk lovingly 
Together, hand in hand ! 

(Exeunt.) 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



PERSONS REPRESENTED. 



Edward Harrison, a Financier and Railway Magnate. 

Addison, "I tt- r • j 
., ' His friends. 

Algernon, J 

Duke of Swamplands (no Revenues) 1 Suitors 

Marquis of Carenaught (a Spendthrift) ■ to 

Count von Schlammer (Dissipated) J Maud. 

Leonard Cassatt, a Bank Teller. 

Vincent Harrison, Son to Harrison. 

Trebals, a Pawnbroker. 

Isidore Goldstone, a Rich Merchant. 

Lawyer (Harrison's Family Counselor). 

Max (a Clerk in Trebals' Pawnshop). 

Court Scene Accessories, a Magistrate, Clerk, Of- 
ficers, Hummer (a Criminal Lawyer), a Bank 
Teller, Wilson and Jennie (convicted of Misde- 
meanors). 

Scene — New 



Ephraim (a Colored Waiter). 

Clergyman. 

Richard Craft, ] 

Martin Slyfellow, 1 Directors of the 

Ralph Cheatham, |- United Pacific 

Nathaniel Steel, Railroads. 

Randolph Roeber, J 

Maud, Daughter to Harrison. 

Alicia, her Waiting-maid. 

Esther, Daughter to Trebals. 

Edith, Rosalie, Dorothy, Nora and Laura (Maud's 
Girl Friends). 

Children Singers. 

Wedding and Other Guests, Musicians, Messengers, 
Servants, Newspaper Reporters, Policemen, 
Pawnbroker's Customers and Clerks, etc. 

York City. 



ACT 1 



Scene i. — The New York office of a transcontinen- 
tal railroad. 

(Enter Addison and Algernon.) 
Addison 

Yes, this huge deal, Harrison's latest coup, 

Is on the tip of every speculator's tongue; 

Gives to the papers good selling headlines. 

And supplies the gossip for a nine-days' wonder. 
Algernon 

Truly a colossal scheme in finance; 

The world has yet to see its equal — 

To combine under one head, the two great 

Competing transcontinental railway systems. 
Addison . 

The sums involved in the transaction 

Present such a dizzy array of figures 

As to strike terror to an arithmetician : 

Harrison, 'tis said, has hazarded his own; 

Together with great loans from many friends. 

But hush! — here he comes. 

{Enter Harrison.) 
Harrison Good day, friends ! 

My worthy Addison and Algernon: — 

Bad day, I might say, for the fact is 

That I am somewhat indisposed. 
Algernon What, sick? 

I trust your malady is not beyond the 

Easy reach of physic. 
Harrison I hardly know myself 

What it is — nor how I came by it. 
Addison Perhaps 

Your mind is tossing on the vast prairies ; 

There, where your locomotives, with big boilers, 

The giant cyclops, (as it Weit) of commerce, 



Do pull their rich laden freight behind them. 
Carrying useful merchandise to every part: 
An^ as they roar along upon their journey, 
The startled stag, or bellowing buffalo. 
Flee into the forests in awesome reverence, 
And let them pass upon their lightning way. 

Algernon 

Believe me, sir, had I such heavy capital, 
Sunk in the enterprise, the better part 
Of my thoughts would be with my investments : 
I should be peering into the blue heavens. 
In search of clouds, whose fall might deluge 
The earth with rain, and undermining trains, 
Plunge cars, freight, passengers and all, 
Down some steep embankment — or worse still. 
Into the swollen river. 

Addison My foot, striking 

A nail, would throw me in a nervous fit, 
When I thought that a badly-driven spike 
Might cause a spreading of the roadbed rails : 
I should not see a street gang's red danger 
Signal, and not bethink me straight of flagman. 
Or switchman's fatal error; which ending in 
A rear-end collision, would play the devil 
With my stocks and bonds. 

Harrison As you are aware. 

In the "Street" I am called "The man who 
Never fails at anything." That reputation, 
And my vast wealth, were only attained. 
By overcoming great and constant obstacles, 
Whi^h still pursue me in this greatest deal; 
As I fifid myself, by a decline in stocks, 
In urgent need of half a million; for the 
Lack of which, the scheifte is jeopardized. 



45 



46 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



Algernon Your 

Need is our opportunity; and though 
You may not like our unasked proffer, 
We hasten to tender you the full amount. 
(Aside to Addison.) To loan this Croesus 
Money, is like doing a favor for a King. 

Addison 

We are sorry to hear of your dilemma ; 
But sympathy will enhance our friendship. 
Come — let us go at once to yonder desk. 
And arrange the loan. (They leave Harrison.) 

Harrison Thank 

My stars, that load is off my mind. 
Such an idea as ruin, I laugh to scorn ; 
Yet I must confess that things look black; 
And Wall Street after all is but a 
Great financial ocean ; rising and falling, 
In tumultuous waves, and threatening wreck. 
To the too daring speculators! (Joins others.) 
(Enter Trebals and Esther.) 

Trehals 
Now, Esther, put on your brightest smiles, 
And sparkle like unredeemed diamonds do. 
When we show them to our customers. 

Esther Father 

Whatever whim led you to bring me here? 
Your conduct seems most strange and foolish. 

Trebals 
The daughter of Trebals, the Pawnbroker; 
His only child ; the heiress to his money : 
My child, they are looking for such bargains. 
Ah, my friend, Goldstone; what brings you here? 

(Enter Goldstone.) 
Goldstone 
How do you do, friend Trebals ; 
I came to make a short call on Harrison; 
And mix with my pleasure a little business. 

Trehals 
You are a Hebrew, but like to curry favor. 
With these Christians. Why don't you spend 
Your money, and time, with your own peopl€S ? 

Goldstone 
Jew or Gentile, 'tis all the same to me: 
All men are our brothers. 

Trebals Too many brothers, 

In the family, won't let the property 
Go half way round. 

Addison 

(Rising from desk.) Now, Harrison, 
This business being done, we two will 
Leave you. 

Harrison 

Good-bye, then, until we meet 
At Delmonico's for lunch. (Exeunt the 
Two; Harrison comes forward.) Trebals, I will 
Be with you at once. Come to my office, Goldstone : 
I will get you those papers and 
You can look them over. 



Trebals (to Esther) That is Mr. Harrison: 

He is one of the richest men in Wall Street; 
That street, where rich men most do congregate. 
He is a proud, arrogant, and haughty man; 
For that I hate him, but more because as 
A competitor, he takes from me many 
Profitable deals. Like many other Gentiles, 
Whose bosoms are so big with hatred that 
They must vent it on some harmless thing. 
He rails against our sacred nation. 
If I forgive him let me be cursed by 
My tribe. 

Esther Yet you come here to see him. 

Trebals He owes 

Me one hundred thousand dollars — 
If the son weds you, I will call the 
Debt off. He is sweetmeats with you already, 
And will marry if his father pushes him. 

Esther 

Father, are you crazy? 

Trebals Esther, don't speak 

Like that — I am shaky enough already, 
When I think of the loss of the monies. 

Harrison (Coming forward) 

Trebals, I owe you a hundred thousand dolls., 
Upon my note which falls due to-day. I 
Desire to renew the note for sixty days. 

Trebals 
Yes, I have the note here. The debt is due; 
Why don't you pay it? 

Harrison I am not bound to 

Make excuse to you, nor will I do so. 
Come, — your answer. 

Trebals I will renew the note: — 

And all I ask you in return for this. 
Is that you will join with me to bring 
My child, Esther, here, and your son, Vincent, 
Together in, way of marriage. 

Harrison Marry my son, 

To your daughter — never, sir. 

Trebals Then, the note 

Goes in the bank right away for collection. 
But, think it over; some day Esther will 
Get the business. 

Harrison Think it over, nothing: 

Don't dare to speak of it again. 

Trebals Listen. 

(Aside) It breaks my heart to part with 
My hundred thousand ; but some day I will 
More than get it back, from my son-in-law. — 
When the wedding takes place, I will tear 
Up this note. 

Harrison Not for a thousand notes 

Would I make such an alliance with you — 
A pawnbroker! 

Trebals Pawnbroker or stockbroker, 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



47 



It is all the same. We loan money to 
The poor, who pawn their clothes for their 
Necessities, while you sell the suckers, 
Your gilt-edged stocks and bonds; whose 
Only value is on their edge. 

Harrison Insolent ! 

You are an usurer; and frequent the 
Marts of trade, to loan out money at 
Unlawful rates. 

Trebals Shall I not lend out. 

What is mine, for just as much as it 
Will bring; by right of that universal law. 
Of the supply and the demand? 

Harrison You may 

In all things else, but money. With that, 
The wisdom of the ages says — thus far 
And no farther shalt thou go — by fixing 
Interest at a legal rate. 

Trebals There are fools 

Would risk a prison and the forfeiture 
Of the principal, by breakage of the law: 
But we make the loan at the legal rate ; 
And then sell the borrower, a diamond 
Worth a hundred — for a thousand. 

Harrison By such 

Cunning device, do you and others like you. 
Pursue your usurious and nefarious traffic. 
Shame upon me — I disgrace myself, and 
My rich friends, by holding any intercourse 
Whatever with you. 

Trebals Many a time and oft, 

Sir, in New Street, you have berated me, 
About my ripe bargains and my heavy gains, 
On purchases and discounts of commercial notes. 
And in the loan crowd on the Stock Exchange's 
Babel floor, you have scorned the money. 
That was sent by me. You are a rich man, 
And a high-toned man, and pride yourself 
On your integrity. The law winks at what 
You do, but calls the same thing in me, 
A crime. You loan out money on call at 
Seven to a hundred per cent, per annum : 
The deals are numerous, and are lecorded; 
Yet the authorities take no action. 
You call me "Three Balls," the sneaky pawny ; 
But consider yourself to be a very 
Honorable man. 

Harrison I am quite likely to call 

You so again ; to scorn you, and to spit 
At you too ; if I deal with you, it will 
Not be as equal ; but as a convenience. 
Or as it were, a slave, who's handy to 
My purposes. 

Trebals If you dare to spit at me, 

I will expectorate tobacco juice at you. 
{Aside) Shall I let him have the money? 
He is safe, and the loan breeds me usurv ; 
And 'tis best to feign to be his friend : 
Besides, I don't yet give up those hopes. 
Of making Esther one of the four hundred. 



Harrison 

Well, Trebals, if you have no more to say; 

I will pray you begone. 
Trebals Don't get so huffy 

I will show humility, forget my wrongs, 

And sue to be your friend : and to that end, 

I will renew the note — provided that you 

Back it with a good endorser. 
Harrison Surely, man. 

You do not want an endorser on my note? 
Trebals 

When a man puts up an extension on his 

Business, it shows that he is getting luny : 

When a man puts up an extension on his note, 

His credit smells a little. 
Harrison {Aside) My borrowing, 

Is overtaxed already : I know not where 

To get more favors. Ah, I have a scheme : 

It's dishonorable, but will work no injury; 

And desperate ills require like remedies 

Trebals, wait here a moment, until I speak 

To Goldstone. 
Esther How long must I remain here. 

On exhibition? 
Trebals Exhibition, Esther? — Oh, 

That is a word you often use, when we 

Put the pawned watches in the shop windows. 
Esther 

What is that, Father? 
Trebals This instrument? 

Why, it is a stock ticker. 
Esther A stock ticker; 

What is it for? 
Trebals It ticks on that tape. 

All the sales of railroad stocks and bonds ; 

When they are made in the Stock Exchange. 
Esther 

Gracious, hear it click and buzz with speed : 

They must do a large business? 
Trebals ^ So large, 

That if the real estate sales in the whole 

United States, were all made in one place; 

It would be no larger. They monopolize 

The business, Esther. 
Esther 

Is it not? 



But that is very bad, 



Trebals No, it is very good 

For us. It drives lots and lots of people. 
To the hock shop. 

Harrison {Returning) 

Well, Trebals, 
This note for a hundred thousand dollars, 
At sixty days, drawn by me to my order, 
And endorsed by myself and Goldstone ; 
I think will suit you. 

Trebals Isadore Goldstone, eh? 

Goldstone is near as rich as Solomon was: 
Let me see it. {Aside) That is a forgery; 
It is not Goldstone's signature : but it 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



48 



Suits me to keep it dark for the present 

Yes, this will answer; and here is the 
Old note. 

Harrison 

Well, that is all : I will now 
Bid you good day. 

Trebals Good day, Mr. Harrison. 

Wall Street is a dangerous place ; if you 
Ever get broke, remember that Trebals 
Lends money on second-handed clothing. 

{Exeunt Trebals and Esther) 

Harrison 

The insulting wretch! — {Goes to the ticker) 
Upon my soul — huzzah ! — the market is 
Rising, rapidly ; my stock. United Pacifies, 
Now selling way up to a hundred and forty — 
The previous decline in United Pacifies, 
Compelled us members of the pool, to barter 
Everything we had to make our margins good ; 
But this big rise, gives us heavy balances, 
At all our brokers. A few moments ago. 

Heavily in debt, and now on Easy Street 

The way that Trebals scrutinized the note, 
I am sure he suspects the endorsement. 
To be bogus. I shall wait until to-morrow. 
In order to allay his suspicion, and then 
Pay off the note in full and destroy it. 
Why do we always fail to bear the strains. 
That fate, to try our mettle, subjects us to? 
My extremity, and Goldstone's presence; 

The vile scheme took hold of me like a flash 

I went to the office, drew up the note, 

And forged on the back the name of Goldstone. 

Goldstone {Coming forward) 
Let us go to lunch. 

Harrison Yes, you will make 

One of us : I dine with Addison and Algernon, 
At Delmonico's. {Exeunt) 



Scene H. — Sitting room in the Harrison mansion. 
{Enter Maud attired in riding habit, and Alicia.) 
Maud 

Ah, methinks Mazeppa's wild ride must have been 
glorious ; save for the dread of the trees' lowering 
branches. We went like the wind. I tell you, Echo 
has some speed — and spirit too. To-day I rode him 
first without an attending equerry. 
Alicia 

I know no more about horses than what the loving 
eye doth teach : to my mind Whitenose is a hand- 
somer creature. 
Maud 

Whitenose is gentle as a lamb, but not so fleet as 
Echo. Let us be seated a moment ; then I must go 
and change my dress ; for I am to talk with father, 
here, upon important business : the all engrossing 
marriage topic. Alicia, am I not the most unfortu- 
nate of women? 
Alicia 

Why, Mistress, you are young, rich, and adored by 
many suitors ; what more can you have ? 



Maud 

Ah, therein lies my sorrow. I am compelled to 
choose a husband — I choose my gloves, my hats, my 
gowns ; but my lover — I must have no choice in that 
matter: he must be a magnet, that draws me toward 
him ; and whose attractions I cannot resist. 

Alicia 

But you have intimated that you have an admirer, 
possessing this quality. 

Maud 

Yes, but he is barred from the list by my father, 
because he is poor and has no social standing. The 
names from which I am to choose, include several of 
my wealthiest beaux, and besides, three foreigners 
with titles, but in reality it i.^ only the noblemen, for 
my father favors them ; and by a like system of elim- 
ination, I will be deprived even of a choice, for he 
strongly inclines to the highest title — the Duke. 

Alicia 

That is the Duke of Swamplands? 

Maud 

Yes, and I do not think that it is I he cares for; I 
am afraid that he seeks to obtain from my father's 
money, a living income, as his swamp lands produce 
nothing but the malaria and mosquitoes. He is like 
most noblemen, highly educated and polished, but 
filled to the brim with all the vain and shallow ideas 
that aristocracy fosters : you must walk just so ; you 
must eat just so ; you must talk just so ; if you should 
show any humanity or feeling with a servant, he is 
shocked at the breach of decorum — he is the pink of 
propriety. 

Alicia 

You mentioned three titles: the second, I presume, 
is the Marquis of Carenaught? 
Maud 

Yes, the spendthrift sport, who once won the Der- 
by : he talks of nothing but his horses, and prides him 
that he can ride them himself, or rather he could, 
for they were sold under the hammer to satisfy a 
moiety of the demands of a multitude of creditors. 

Alicia 

And now, being broke, must perforce look up some 
new capital. 
Maud 

He made a hasty trip to this country for that very 
purpose ; was lionized by our set, and became daz- 
zled by its wealth. A feverish desire has taken pos- 
session of him to marry me, in order to get my 
father to stake him. He tells me that I am a thor- 
oughbred, and have speed, and would wed me as he 
buys a horse. 
Alicia 

And the third and last, is the young German Count 
with the odd name which I can somewhat recall only 
by thinking of one who slams things around. 
Maud 

Schlammer — Otto von Schlammer. His father died 
and left him the title and the old ancestral castle on 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



49 



the Rhine — everything else had been swallowed up 

in Rhine wine. 

Alicia 

And this engulfing stream in the father threatens 
to become a torrent in the son, and any dowry that 
a wife brings him would soon be squandered for the 
same evanescent joys. May fate so order it, that you 
will be able to steer clear of these mercenary lovers, 
and marry one who loves you for yourself. 

Maud 

Amen to that ! Now, come with me ; I need your 
services that I may return more quickly. (Exeunt) 

(Enter Harrison.) 
Harrison 

That forged note I gave to Trebals this morning, 
weighs on my mind : I shall have no peace until I get 
it back ! Why do I recoil at this, and stifle conscience 
as to the dubious way that my vast fortune was ac- 
cumulated? Four years ago, with a half million dol- 
lars all told, I was appointed President of a railroad, 
with a salary of fifteen thousand per annum — and now 
I am worth at least twenty-five millions. Pshaw, is 
it not right to make money? Yes, when the money 
is new value added to the world ; not when it is ab- 
stracted from others. This money that has come to 
me, by our clique having sold to the railroad many 
branch lines, for twenty times their value, and jug- 
gling with the revenues, in our stock speculations, 
has made many people poor. 

(Enter a lawyer.) 

Welcome, Counselor Livermore. Be seated. 
Lawyer 

I thank you, sir. As your family counselor, I wrote 
you that I would like to meet you and your daughter 
here, at this hour, on important business. 
Harrison 

At your service, sir. I charged Maud to be pres- 
ent; she will soon join us. 
Lawyer 

You will recall that just before you wife died, she 
made Maud and you promise that Maud should make 
no choice from her adorers until her next birthday, 
then some four months away. 
Harrison 

One of her whims. I say it with all respect — she 
was full of them. Another, was her evident liking 
for that inpecunious upstart, Leonard Cassatt. 
Lawyer 

She spoke highly of him to me, and I have heard 
other expressions in his favor. The Coin Exchange 
Bank, in its numerous branches, is fond of giving 
young men a chance to show their mettle by placing 
them in responsible position. Cassatt is now a tel- 
ler in the 72nd Street branch, and is soon to become 
Assistant Cashier. 
Harrison 

I am a director in the Coin Exchange Bank and I 
will soon put a stop to this idiotic practice of entrust- 
ing the bank's funds to such young scamps. This 
Cassatt is a mere parvenu : what right has he to enter 



the home of a millionaire? My wife and Maud met 
him at some silly benevolent function, invited him to 
call, and have since made much of him. 
Lawyer " ' 

And now you continue to receive him, for your 
wife's sake? 
Harrison 

Confound it! I am forced to, for a short time. 
She knew that I hated him, and she exacted a prom- 
ise from me that until Maud's next birthday, he 
should be allowed to pay his respects to her. Zounds ! 
many a time I have come near breaking the promise 
and kicking him out. A man like that to court my 
daughter; the idea is absurd! 

(Enter Maud.) 
Maud 

Ah, Mr. Livermore, you are already here; I have 
kept you waiting. 
Lawyer 

Not at all. Miss Harrison, I have only had time to 
exchange a word with your father. 
Harrison 

Now we will hear what you have to say. 
Lawyer 

Well, then, to be brief. 
Harrison 

Ha, ha, brevity! — lawyers say that they never 
imagine, but deal only in cold facts ; yet they relate 
a simple tale with great circumlocution ; I presume 
to justify the charge of a heavy fee. 
Lawyer 

There is not much can be said here. Your wife 
handed me a sealed letter addressed to Maud, to- 
gether with a parcel ; both to be delivered ten days 
before her next birthday. That time has arrived — 
here they are. 
Maud (having opened letter, reads) 

Dear Maud: I am much concerned about your 
happiness, surrounded as you are by a number of 
adorers. You need a mother's guidance at this crisis 
in life, and something tells me that I must leave you. 
I have devised a plan which I trust under Providence 
will protect you. Your father favors the noblemen, 
whilst my motherly intuition tells me that you favor 
Leonard Cassatt. Proceed at once to have each of 
your suitors select one of these caskets; the order of 
choosing to be determined by lot. The caskets will 
be opened on your birthday; and he who chooses the 
one containing the diamond ring, shall be your hus- 
band; the ring is my wedding present. Heaven bless 
you. 

Mother. 
Harrison 

A piece of damnable nonsense I 
Maud 

Why father, you surprise me. 
Harrison 

To give this upstart, Cassatt, the privilege to win 
my daughter by lottery; I'll never submit to it! 
( Walks away: Maud tmtwaps the parcel.) And yet, it 



50 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



is three to one — there's slight chance that Cassatt will 
choose the right one. And if he does, I'll find a way 
to fix him. Any other behest of my wife I would 
gladly fulfill ; but this particular one is most obnox- 
ious. Not to appear unnatural, I will pretend to be 
reconciled to it. 

Maud 

Oh, look here, Papa! Four lovely jewel cas- 
kets, made of solid gold and all alike save the inscrip- 
tions. Each one boldly inscribed in engraved letters, 
thus: "Beauty" {hands them to him, one by one) 
"Wealth," "Character," "Disposition." 

Harrison 

Yes, very charming, indeed. Not a bad idea after 
all ; highly romantic and original ; something out of 
the common. Let us at once arrange to carry out 
my dear wife's wishes. The contestants must be noti- 
fied ; that is rather a ticklish job for me to do. 

Lawyer 

You had best leave that to me. I can do it with 
more propriety than yourself. I will go to them as 
your family lawyer, show them the letter confided to 
me, have them express a desire to enter the lists, and 
then extend an invitation. How about fixing the 
time? 

Harrison 

It is best to make one bite of the cherry ; to have 
all choose at one time: and night seems most fitting. 
To-morrow night, then, at eight-thirty. 

Lawyer 

Very well. Now I will take my leave. Good day, 
Miss Maud, best wishes. 

Maud 

Thank you, sir, you are very kind. 

Harrison 

I am going out, too. {Exeunt Harrison and Law- 
yer: Harrison bows stiffly to Cassatt, and scowls back 
at him.) 
Maud 

Here comes Leonard. I will put the caskets away 
out of sight; he must not see them yet. 

{Enter Cassatt.) 
Maud 

Why, your presence is an agreeable surprise. 
Cassatt 

Am I detaining you ? Did you intend to leave with 
the others? 
A4aud 

Not at all, Mr. Cassatt. 
Cassatt 

Then I am happy! 'Tis such a delight to be alone 
with you. 
Maud 

Idle word — you are just like the others ; it is only 
my wealth that brings you here. 
Cassatt 

Lady, I swear, I almost wish that you were poor, 
that I might adore you without constraint. 



Mai{d 

Have you not heard the old saying, that often when 
poverty enters the door, love flies out at the window? 

Cassatt 

Poverty is not love's only bete noire; wealth is also 
sometimes a bugbear. Your father is rich and 
mighty ; I am poor and humble ; naturally he desires 
you to wed in his own class, and I am in honor bound 
to respect his wishes. Feeling as I do, I know that 
I should keep away from you ; but not being able to 
do so, I come and utter commonplaces, and beat back 
the burning words that tremble on my lips ! 

Maud 

Mr. Cassatt ! {Aside) Sweet consciousness, he 
loves me ! He should not have had me for money, 
even if he chose the right casket — for I love him 
truly 1 

Cassatt 
You are offended? 

Maud 

Not at all ; I am delighted ! I love and am beloved ; 
what more can woman want? 

Cassatt {taking her hands) 

Do you mean it? Oh, speak those words again! 

Maud 

Have patience, Leonard. My life is full of per- 
plexities, for I am a woman and cannot barter all 
that a woman holds dear, for money, or position. My 
father seeks to sacrifice me on the altar of his ambi- 
tion, and my soul is full of rebellious thoughts which 
I am sure would at last have resulted in an open rup- 
ture had matters remained as they were. 

Cassatt 

Something has occurred? 

Maud 

My mother's dying wishes communicated to-day by 
her lawyer, and which I shall not disregard. A 
rather strange way to get a husband, but considering 
its solemn origin, likely to prove a good inspira- 
tion. Others will give you the details, suffice to say 
that you are mentioned and will have a chance — that 
is, if you care to compete for so unworthy a prize. 
Cassatt 

I have adored you as I might a star in the skies — 
beautiful — but far beyond my reach. The slightest 
chance to win you will top my wildest dreams. 
Maud 

Now that we understand each other, my heart is 
full of joy ; but I must remain silent, for fate may 
yet sever us ; you may not succeed under my mother's 
plan; and then, sad lot — we must forget each other. 
Cassatt 

Sad lot, indeed! 

{Enter a footman, bearing a salver.) 
Maud 

What is it, Andrew? 
Footman 

Two callers, your ladyship. j . ,, ,. 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



51 



Maud 

Read their cards to me, please. 
Footman 

Duke of Swamplands; Marquis of Carenaught. 
Maud 

Admit them, Andrew, but first send Alicia to me. 
(Footman bows and retires.) So, so, the Duke of 
Swamplands and the Marquis of Carenaught; I won- 
der what brings them here at this hour? 
Cassatt 

I think that I had best be going. 
Maud 

Not at all ; on the other hand I pray you to remain. 
(Enter Alicia.) 

Alicia, I sent for you, as I have some male callers, 
and you must play your usual role of chaperon. 
Alicia 

Whew! I act that part so often now, that hence- 
forth I'll powder my hair, paint wrinkles in my 
cheeks, and put a soberer habit on. 

(Enter Swamplands and Carenaught.) 
Maud 

Ah, your Graces! This is a pleasant surprise. 
Swamplands 

My dear Miss Harrison, you are the flame and we 
are the moths, don't you know ; we cawn't keep away, 
even though we singe our wings. 
Carenaught 

We passed your house on our way back from the 
Club, and couldn't resist the temptation to run ovah. 
Maud 

Your Graces, allow me to introduce Mr. Cassatt. 
Carenaught 

Delighted, I am suah! 
Swamplands 

Deuced glad to meet you, don't you know ! A man 
of note, and an American I presume, as I cawn't re- 
call ever having seen the name in Burke's book of 
the "Peerage." 
Cassatt 

Not noted, my lord, nor even rich ; but just a poor 
man who has to work for a living. 
Swamplands 

Haw, haw ! you are joking I am suah, but we will 
let it pass. By jove, in one of my recent speeches in 
the House of Lawds, I was applauded to the echo 
for this sentiment, "The poor have no rights, but are 
allowed to feed on the crumbs which fall from the 
rich man's table." 
Carenaught 

I like to hear a talk that has some sort of an idea 
back of it, and makes you take sides either for it or 
against it ; but in many of your speeches in the House 
of Lawds, deuce take it, I cawn't tell what you are 
driving at; it makes me weary, and I detest being 
weary ! 
Maud 

Well, Marquis, I guess that you don't have a chance 
to get weary in New York? 



Carenaught 

Upon my honah. Miss Maud, New York is a stun- 
ning place; but with all the sights ovah heah, still am 
I plagued with the ennui for lack of the racing sport 
at Ascot, Epsom Downs and Newmarket. I under- 
stand that you used to have jolly racing heah, but 
that now you only have a lot of skates running out 
West ; but this is not running, either, but skating — 
haw, haw, deuced clevah idea to have the horses 
skate, and no easy tawsk to teach them. 

Cassatt 

Your lordship, has fallen into a ludicrous error. 
"Skates" is a slang word here to signify a very poor 
class of horses — what you term on the other side, 
"Plugs." 

Carenaught 

Ah, I see what you mean ; haw, haw, quite stupid 
of me, I am suah. 

(Airs from a drinking song sung in German within. 
Enter Vincent.) 

Vincent 

Ah, how are you, my lords, Duke and Marquis? 
Delighted to see you! 

Swamplands 

Ah, Vincent, very glad that you are heah. 

Carenaught 

Devilish good of you to drop in, deah fellah. 
Vincent 

And Cassatt, too ; how are you, Cassatt ? 
Cassatt 

Quite well, thanks. 
Carenaught 

Who is it that sings in German, airs from an old 
drinking song? 
Vincent 

Oh, that is Von Schlammer; he has been taking 
too much and is quite hilarious ; I wanted to see if 
the coast was clear before I steered him in here. 
Swamplands 

Egad, in that case we had best be going; I cawn't 
endure him, when he is in his cups. 
Vincent 

Don't go, your Graces ; he is not so very bad. 
Carenaught 

We nevah thought of staying long, anyway. 
Swamplands (aside to Maud) 

I am making my plans for a quick return to Eng- 
land, and I don't want to be a cad, you know, and 
pester you with attentions on all occasions ; but I 
think you are awful clevah, don't you know ; and I 
am suah that you will be greatly fawncied on the 
othah side. 
Maud 

But, your Grace, I haven't made up my mind to go 
abroad. 
Swamplands 

I cawn't believe that you will refuse the chaunce to 
become a Duchess. Au revoir. 



52 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



Maud 

Good day, my lord, and to both your lordships. 

(Swamplands and Carenaught bow. Exeunt.) 

Maud 

I will return to my room, Vincent, and you enter- 
tain the Count, as you always do when he is tipsy; 
but stay. I think Alicia, that you had best remain out 
of courtesy, he may feel slighted if he sees no lady 
present. 

Alicia 

Yes, I will do as well as you ; for Rhine wine 
makes all women look alike to him. (Exit Maud.) 

(Singing is resumed within. Enter Von Schlamnter.) 

Von Schlammer 
Mein guter freund, Cassatt; give me your hand. 

(To Alicia) Ach, du liebes Fraulein. I am your 
royal knight-errant, ever ready to drink with you, or 
fight for you. 

Alicia 

Not my Knight-errant, but an erring Knight, hard- 
ly able to drink with me, for you are almost full now ; 
and not fit to fight for me, for it is as much as you 
can do to keep upon your feet. 

Von Schlammer 

If I can find some honorable way to cease being a 
suitor to Miss Harrison, (for the Von Schlammers 
pride themselves upon their honor), my word upon 
it, Alicia, I'll court you; for I never yet saw maid 
that pleased me half so well. 

Alicia 

You flatter me, my lord. 

Von Schlammer 
No, by my troth, I am in earnest! 

Alicia 

But with your present intemperate habits it would 
not be safe for any one to marry you. 

Von. Schlammer 

Then I'll reform, and drink in moderation ; or bet- 
ter still, I'll never drink at all. 
Alicia 

My lord, you don't know what you are saying; and 
if you do, you couldn't carry it out: no woman, love 
she ever so dearly, could wean you from your love 
of wine. 
Von Schlammer 

Alicia, hear me, if I do not keep quite sober, talk 
circumspectly, use no profanity, and drink but now 
and then ; carry a prayer book in my hand, and look 
seriously grave ; nay more — go to Church, and while 
prayer is being said, bow my head, close my eyes 
and respond with a sigh and unctuous amen ; study 
all the abstruse problems of theology to make con- 
version quicker ; as one who mortifies the flesh, to win 
a sweetheart — then Alicia, never trust me more. 
Alicia 

You have promised to reform ; I hope that you will 
keep faith, my lord. 



Von Schlammer 

Never fear. But to remove all doubts, donner wet- 
ter, I will pledge it with a sparkling glass of wine. 

(Rings the bell.) Some wine, ho! — Ephraim, I say! 

(Enter Ephraim.) 

Ah, Ephraim, you look good to me; where were 
you the last time I was here? 

Ephraim 

1 dunno ; I specs dat it war to serve booze at 
Massa Harrison's directorate meeting; dat's the only 
time dis yer darkey is away from here. 
Von Schlammer 

Well, you American Zulu, go and get the spiritus 
frumenti. 
Ephraim 

Spiritus frumenti! Golly, dis coon is gwine to ask 
yer to be moah explicit. 
Von Schlammer 

Wine, stupid, wine. 
Ephraim 

Oh, that's it : ho, ho ! I thot it war an animal. 
(Exit Ephraim.) 
Alicia 

I beseech you, sir, not to indulge any more. 
Von Schlammer 

Fair maid, you have made me happy; I must revel, 
one good spree, and then I will taper off ; first, ten 
glasses daily, then five, then three, then nothing — 
perhaps. 

(Re-enter Ephraim with wine.) 
Cassatt 

Count, I will have one glass with you, and then I 
must be going. 
Von Schlammer 

Sorry to lose your esteemed company. Ephraim, 
serve Alicia first. What, she refuses? that's bad: now 
to Cassatt, Vincent, and myself; you, Ephraim, you 
will join us? 
Ephraim 

I will, sah, if you insists upon it. (They clink 
glasses and drink.) 
Von Schlammer (sings) 

O thou spirit of wine, invisible; 
One mighty whole, and yet divisible ; 
Thou separatest us from all our woes, 
Makest staunch friends of bitterest foes: 
If we have no other appropriate name 
With which to commemorate thy fame, 
Let us then call thee devil! 
Vincent 

By Jove, Count, you Germans are fine singers! 
Cassatt 

Yes, an exquisite little bit of melody. 
Von Schlammer 

Come, Ephraim, what are you dreaming of; fill 
them up again. 
Vincent 

Excuse ipe, Count, no more for me. 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



53 



Von Schlammer 

Why Vincent, what ails you? Let us drink to the 
health of Esther, the young Jewess, whom you are 
so enamoured of; you love her, don't you? 

Vincent 

Yes, I love her so much, that I don't want drink, 
or anything else to come between us. 
Von Schlammer 
Oh, just this glass. {They drink. Sings:) 
Von Schlammer was a merry peer, 
Had lands and castles on the Rhine; 



He mortgaged all that man holds dear, 
And spent the revenues for wine. 
Ho, fill up again. Cassatt, you'll join me? 
Cassatt 

No more for me, my lord. 
Von Schlammer 

By heaven, then I'll drink alone! (He raises the 

glass high; and Alicia begins to sob) What's that? 

(He goes to Alicia and watches her) To perdition 

with drink ; it has brought sorrow on the thing I love ! 

(Dashes the glass away.) 



ACT II 



Scene i. — The Directors' Room of the United 
Pacific Railroads. 

Ephraim 

(Arranging bottles and glasses on a sideboard.) I 
suspects dat the directors of these yer corporations or 
trusts, are jest like other men, arter all, and in some 
respec's even worser ; the Good Book says, put not 
your trust in things corporeal, but in things spiritual. 
Now these yer railway Directors dat meet here, are 
saints in public, but in private life dey are sinners, 
just like the rest of us ; some drink whiskey, some 
drink wine, and some drink — water. From my 
standpoint, dese water drinkers are the worsest of all. 

(Enter Harrison.) 
Harrison 

Nobody here yet, Ephraim? 

Ephraim 

No sah, not a soul yet, sah. 

Harrison 

Well, I hope they won't be late; they know that 
at to-day's meeting we are going to cut a melon. 
(Exit Harrison.) 
Ephraim 

They are gwine to cut a melon — a watermelon, I 
bet. Golly, how I used to love to steal dem water- 
melons when I war down South. I hope dis yer one 
is very large, so dat dar will be a big piece for me. 

(Enter Harrison, Craft and Slyfellow.) 
Harrison 

Our Directors' Meeting was called for two o'clock ; 
it is now the hour, and Steel, Roeber and Cheatham 
are not yet present. Craft, you are on time; and, 
Slyfellow, so are you. 
Slyfellow 

In my ethical talks to the young I always dwell on 
the sacredness of a trust reposed in you by others. 

(Enter Steel, Roeber and Cheatham.) 
Harrison 

Ah, here you are, Cheatham — and Roeber — and 
Steel. (Shakes with each.) Right on time. 
Steel 

We are all here now. I must shake hands with you. 
Craft — and you, Slyfellow. 



Harrison 

We will now proceed to business. (They sit around 
a large writing table.) 

Steel 

But business is not yet in order ; we have not had a 
drink. Ephraim, pass around the whiskey and wine. 

(Ephraim pours a glass of zvhiskey for Craft, and a 
glass for Steel, but Slyfellow hesitates.) What, Sly- 
fellow, you don't refuse at the first hurdle, do you? 

Slyfellow 

But, my dear Steel, it is generally believed that I 
am a Prohibitionist. 

Steel 

Well, that don't go with us; we know your habits 
better. 

Slyfello7v 

Give me a little wine, then. 

Harrison 

And the same for me. Roeber, we all know that 
you drink no intoxicants ; we'll excuse you, Roeber. 
Well, here's success to our enterprise! (All but 
Roeber drink, and Ephraim removes the glasses and 
takes a quiet drink himself, and exit Ephraim.) 
Steel 

Now, Harrison, we will listen to you. 
Harrison 

The storm of indignation that has broken all over 
our land against the "Trusts" has swept av/ay the 
heavy tariff (as the tariff was believed to be the father 
of the trusts), and a period of industrial depression 
ensues. Then, too, the world-wide craze for automo- 
biles has tied up vast sums of money in an unproduc- 
tive luxury and consequently money has become very 
scarce, and is loaning at high rates. All this militates 
against any sustained rise in value on the Stock Ex- 
change. 
Craft 

Well may you say that, for the spasmodic rise in 
United Pacific culminated to-day, and the stock de- 
clined ten points. 
Cheatham 

We can't afford to let this decline go any further; 
we must put a lot of ginger into the market; give 



54 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



them one of the same old tricks, that have so often 
fooled them before. 

Harrison 

Cheatham, that, as we all know, is just what brings 
us here. We now have in the treasury of the United 
Pacific Railroads one hundred million dollars' worth 
of the stock of some small competitors. This stock we 
propose to at once divide up amongst ourselves. 

Craft 

\'ou mean that we are going to cut a "melon" for 
the benefit of the stockholders. 

Slyfellow 

Well, the stockholders — are ourselves; for us Di- 
rectors and our wealthy friends own at least three- 
quarters of United Pacific. 
Steel 

But there is now outstanding one hundred million 
dollars of United Pacific debenture bonds which we 
issued to buy this very stock that we now propose to 
divide. I favor it ; but there will be a hue and cry of 
a steal. 
Roeber 

We can work it some other way. Of course we 
must pocket that money ; but not in such a barefaced 
manner ; besides, the courts will not allow it ; they will 
restrain us. 
Cheatham 

The courts don't take notice of anything unless it 
is stuck right under their noses by the public prose- 
cutor ; and the public prosecutor doesn't interefere with 
the wealthy unless some sorehead makes complaint ; 
and then only when the sorehead is backed up by an 
aroused public sentiment. The glitter of gold upon 
the pages of law blinds the eyes of those whose duty 
it is to interpret them. 
Slyfellow 

The total amount of the stock of United Pacific, I 
believe, is about one hundred million dollars? 
Harrison 

Just about a hundred millions. 
Slyfellow 

And our clique (composed of ourselves and five 
others) owns seventy-five millions of it? 
Harrison 

Yes, seventy-five millions. 
Slyfellow 

And the treasury stock, that we propose to divide 
up, also amounts to one hundred millions? 
Harrison 

Yes. 
Slyfellow 

Then our clique will get seventy-five millions of 
this money. This is a huge sum. I am afraid to con- 
sent to it ; it might get us into trouble. 
Harrison 

But we have a perfect right to do it ; we are not 
committing a crime ; we are simply taking what be- 
longs to us. Where we gain, is that the sucker public 
cannot reason; and the mere announcement of the 



cutting of a "melon" makes them crazy to take a 
stock (that the melon adds no value to) off our hands 
at a price twenty points higher. 
Slyfellow 

Show me wherein we have the right to take it? 
Harrison 

Well, I will tell you. When we became Directors 
of United Pacific there were two hundred million 
dollars of bonds, which were a mortgage debt upon 
the property. The property being worth three hun- 
dred millions, there remained one hundred million 
dollars of value back of the stock; making it worth 
par. Another mortgage debt of one hundred milHons 
was placed upon the property, making the stock 
worth nothing (except this treasury stock bought 
with the proceeds of the mortgage). 
Slyfellow 

Ah, I see. Then this treasury stock, being our se- 
curity, we have a right either to leave it in the treas- 
ury for safe-keeping, or to divide it up. 
Harrison 

Exactly so. 
Roeber 

And the mere fact of taking it, does not in any way 
increase the value of United Pacific stock. 
Harrison 

Of course not ; but you cannot make the suckers 
see this. Now we will take a vote : how say you, shall 
this distribution be made — yes or no? 
Directors 

Yes. 
Harrison 

Carried unanimously. I will put our action in writ- 
ing. {Writes and reads) We, the Directors of the 
United Pacific Railroads, hereby order that one month 
from date all the stock of other railroads, now lying 
in the treasury, shall be divided among the stockhold- 
ers. Edward Harrison, Chairman of the Board. 
Craft 

Come, gentlemen, affix your signatures. {They all 
sign.) 
Harrison 

Now, gentlemen, having finished our business, we 
are ready to go. Just a few minutes of fun, and then 
we will depart. Skillful chefs will brag of their cook- 
ing, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating; to 
show that I am right as to the way the "lambs" will 
view this melon cutting, we will arrange to have the 
news flashed to the Stock Exchange, and then watch 
the stock ticker, here. 
Cheatham 

How shall we send it? by a messenger, or phone it 
over? 
Harrison 

Waiting outside are a number of reporters who with 
true reportorial daring and cunning, aic met to gain 
quick news of our action. We will leave this paper 
open on the table, unlatch the door, and retire to an 
adjoining room. I'll wager that inside of five minutes 
the news will be all over town. 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



55 



Directors 

All right, ha, ha, all right! (They open the self- 
bolting door and retire.) 

(Enter Ephraim, pushed in by the Reporters.) 

Ephraim 

I say dat you can't come in hyar. 
Reporters 

But we are reporters. 
Ephraim 

I don't care ; re-porters is a darn sight worser than 
other porters. 
Reporters 

Why, we represent all the papers, including the 
Tribune, Times, World, Sun — 
Ephraim 

And the moon — I presumption ; it don't make no 
difference, you ain't a-gwine to come in hyar. 
Reporters 

We must come in. 
Ephraim 

What you doin' thar? Stop dat pushin' and shov- 
in'! 
Reporters 

Now, altogether, boys, altogether! (Ephraim is 
pushed down, and the Reporters rush in; the Direc- 
tors peep in.) 
Ephraim 

These yer Directors has gone to dat room, thar ; 
dey is comin' right back. 
Reporter 

Hush, boys ! stop your noise ; we've got to keep 
quiet. What's that paper, lying there on the table? 
(Reads it.) Ah, here's a little joker that tells us 
what we want to know — copy it, boys. (They copy it 
in their note books; and Exeunt "cheering.") 
Ephraim 

I dunno why dey call such trash, reporters; dey 
surely nevah had no bringin' up. (Exit) 

(Re-enter the Directors, laughing) 
Harrison 

That trick of ours went through with ease: may 
the balance of our enterprise prove equally lucky. 
Roeber 

Lucky — we will have to be lucky if we succeed 
in disposing of our seventy-five millions of clique 
stock, even though this melon goes with it. 
Steel 

Why so? 
Roeber 

Because we are in bad odor with the public ; the 
whole country is but an argus with a hundred eyes, 
and every eye is bent upon directors. 
Steel 

Well, what fault can they find with us? 
Roeber 

The dictionary defines a director as one who is put 
in to direct, or guide ; but the chief aim of the pres- 
ent-day director, is. to wreck and destroy. Should the 



directors own all the stock of their concerns, they are 
woefully deficient in humanity ; should they be only 
partial owners of their concerns, they are woefully 
deficient in integrity. The first mentioned form trusts 
and raise the prices of life's necessities ; the second 
do fleece the other stockholders. 

Cheatham 

Now, that may all be true; but, Roeber, did we 
come here to moralize? 

Roeber 

No, we didn't; but we did come here to look the 
rising storm right in the face and see if there isn't 
a way to weather it. Old things are passed away: 
we have got to look up some new schemes; now 
that railroads must be physically valued. 

Craft 

Excuse me, gentlemen ; I will go and keep tabs on 
the stock ticker: the reporters have been gone long 
enough to expect results. 
Directors 

Yes, do so, Craft. (He goes to the stock ticker) 
Slyfellow 

What do you understand, Roeber, by that term, 
"physical" value? 
Roeber 

Why, it is the natural value, or the intrinsic value : 
the price that property sells for in the open market; 
or if there is no sale, a nice discrimination between 
the bid and asked prices. The earning power of a 
railroad varies according to the state of trade: some- 
times ten per cent, is paid on the stock, sometimes 
nothing; therefore the only real value of a railroad 
stock is the value of the railroad. 
Slyfellow 

And these physical valuations will bring out in hid- 
eous contrast the actual values of railroads, and the 
huge piles of their securities. I am afraid that the 
day of inflated stock issues has passed — alas, forever! 
Harrison 

Well, what do we care : we have got ours. 
Slyfellow 

Yes, but we want to get more. 
Craft (watching ticker) 

Hurrah ! — United Pacific is soaring upward like a 
skyrocket! When I came over here, it was selling at 
one hundred and thirty-two ; now it is one hundred 
and forty-five — now fifty — now fifty-five — now sixty 
— where it sticks. 
Directors 

Hurrah, hurrah! (They all gather around the 
ticker) 
Harrison 

Hey ! hey ! that's so ; it is up to one hundred and 
sixty, and it holds there like a rock. Now that we 
have got the stock up where we want it, we will or- 
der our clique brokers to unload. This can easily 
be done in the next few days ; for when the news 
spreads over the country, there will be a perfect flood 
of buying orders. 



56 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



Slyfellow 

And I will spend a few thousands judiciously 
among the newspapers to see that the thing is "writ- 
ten up" in to-morrow's issues. 
Steel 

Gentlemen, I respectfully submit that there is but 
one way to fittingly "celebrate" such an event. 
Directors 

What way is that, Steel? 

(Steel opens door and Ephraim comes in) 
Steel 

Ephraim, you know what I want. 
Ephrahn 

Oh, yes sah, I knows. (He pours and hands whis- 
key to each, and a glass for himself) 
Steel 

Now, you are all ready? 
Directors 

We are. 
Ephraim 

We is. 
Harrison 

Why, you rascal, what are you doing with that 
glass in your hands? 
Ephraim 

Ise a gwine to contribute my widow's mite to the 
gen'ral jollificashun. 
Directors 

Ha, ha, ha! 
Steel 

Now, gentlemen, let her go! (They drink, and 
curtain) 

Scene II. — Grand Salon in the Harrison Mansion. 
(Enter Harrison, Addison, and Algernon) 
Harrison 

Yes, this is my daughter's birthday ; and the swains 
are to make choice of the caskets, which will be 
opened immediately afterward, and the winner an- 
nounced. We had at first intended to have the choos- 
ing take place some days ago ; but concluded to have 
that, as well as the opening, done on Maud's birth- 
day; at a one o'clock luncheon. 
Addison 

The novel contest now to occur, might well be 
called, "love's lottery." 
Algernon 

Chance, enters in some way into all afifairs of the 
heart: love at the best is but a lottery. 
Harrison 

See, here are the caskets. 
Addison 

Only four of them ; not so difficult to pick the right 
one of these golden toys : and what a prize he gains 
that chooses right. By my soul, were I younger, I'd 
like to have a try at it myself. 
Algernon 

Three out of four of the aspirants have titles; so 



you are quite sure to get a nobleman for a son-in- 
law : lucky fellow. 

Addison 

Yet, in spite of this good fortune, you seem to be 
distrait. 

Harrison 

I am worried almost to death over that injunction 1 

Addison 

You are afraid that the United States Supreme 
Court will forbid you stockholders of the United Pa- 
cific Railroads from grabbing the hundred millions? 

Harrison 

Yes, to prevent the cutting of the melon; and the 
devil knows what will happen to me then. 

Algernon 

How is that? 

Harrison 

Well, our clique bought up most all the stock of 
United Pacifies at a low price ; then we cut the melon, 
and the stock went way up, as we knew it would : the 
next day we were going to sell out and pocket a 
profit of many millions ; but that meddling cur, 
Leonard Cassatt, got the holders of a few hundred 
shares to apply for an injunction ; when this news 
came out, the stock took a big drop, and we still have 
all of it on our hands. The Court is sitting to-day ; 
and may hand down the decision : if it is against us, 
(and it surely will be) there will come another big 
drop in the stock ; and that means — damnation. I 
dare not think of it. 

Addison 

Why are you so sure the decision will be against 
you? 

Harrison 

The devil, man ; what court would dare to sanction 

such a barefaced thing as the cutting of this melon 
is. The courts and the authorities, don't want to 
hinder us ; but what can they do, when some meddling 
reformer like this Cassatt, compels them to take ac- 
tion. 

Algernon 

Why does this Cassatt interfere in the matter? 

Harrison 

Oh, he is a member of a society that demands hon- 
esty and honor, from all who hold positions of trust. 
I hate him! 

Algernoti 

Yet, he is one of the casket choosers : you accept 
him as a suitor of your daughter. 

Harrison 

That is my wife's doings ; and too long a story to 
tell now : but after to-day, I'll show him the door. 
Addison 

But, there is a slight chance that he may choose 
right. 
Harrison 

It makes no difference; he shall never have her. 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



57 



love me, and nothing 



Algernon 

Why did you set the aflfair in the daytime, and at 

one o'clock? 

Harrison 

Because these one o'clock luncheons have become 

an ultra fashionable affair. 

Addison 

Listen; the music starts again! That is with me 

a favorite air. 

Harrison 
I never cared for music. • 

Algernon 

'Tis said, that a man who stores no music in his 

soul, is only fit to betray his country, or wrong its 

citizens. 

Harrison 

Money is a jealous mistress : 

else, is her command. 

Addison 

Now, the orchestra plays a wedding march; the 

guests are coming. 

(Enter Sivamplands, Carenaught, Von Schlammer, 
Cassatt, Vincent, lawyer, Maud, Alicia, coterie of 
Harrison's ivealthy friends, and some Children 
Singei-s.) 

Lawyer (to Attendant) 

Go draw aside the draperies, and discover. 

The several caskets, to these amorous swains. 

Now make your choices ; and may the Lord, 

Direct your judgment, to your own content, 

And the happiness of this fair lady. 

Each chooser swears to enter in good part, 

And if you fail you take it not to heart. 

The Good Book says, that sometimes wisdom. 

Is denied to men, and given to babes. 

After each choice the children will sing. 

Their view of it, in lines which have been 

Writ for them. The Duke of Swamplands, now, 

Will make the first assay. 

Swamplands (Goes to Maud) 
To win thee, lady; 

I would much sooner try some othah way. 
Than trust to chaunce ; for luck may gain the day. 
If Swamplands, and his valet, play at dice. 
The stakes, a pearl of inestimable price ; 
My valet by chaunce may secure the prize. 
Then Swamplands slowly pines away and dies. 

Maud 

That is the hazard you take, my lord 

All mariners take risks to reach the haven; 
Why fear, when marriages are made in heaven? 

Swamplands (Goes to caskets) 

First — to survey the inscriptions ovah : 
Beauty — Wealth — Character — Disposition. 
Surely this lady has every one of these : 
But only vulgah peasants choose their mates, 
For character or for disposition : 
Then there but remains, beauty and wealth. 
Look on beauty, and you shall see 'tis 
Valued at its weight; making them dearest, 



That have most of it: to get it then. 
You must pay a costly fabulous price ; 
And nobility is more valuable than gold: 
To win against American millionaires, 
I must tender her a title: and a title 
Is but a solitaire, that needs a golden 
Setting ; therefoah, this casket do I choose ; 
Wealth gains my voice. 

Lawyer 

Take away the casket, and leave but three. 
To puzzle and perplex the next devotee. 

Children (sing) 

Where, oh where, is false love bred ; 
In the heart, or in the head? 
The heart is full of vows of honey. 
The head teems with desire for money: 
Toll the bell, his love's grown cold ; 
A miser loves but yellow gold. 

Lawyer 

Count Von Schlammer, it is your turn. 
Von Schlammer (goes to Maud) 

Lady, mislike me not for dissipation ; 

Too prevalent a folly in our nation : 

When I wed, I promise drink to shun; 

Favor local option, even prohibition. 

Maud 

There are the jewel caskets, noble sir, 
And one of them contains the diamond ring: 
My lord Count, although you win me never, 
I feel highly flattered by your favor. 

Von Schlammer (goes to caskets) 
After marriage, if late night sometime, 
I return home with a heavy load of wine, 
My wife will rise from her watchful bed. 
And break the nearby broomstick o'er my head; 
That is, provided that I wed a shrew: 
A gentle nature is the thing for me. 
Then disposition casket, I choose thee: 
If my guess, proves to be nix kom raus. 
Von Schlammer must look for another spouse. 

(He goes to Alicia: Attendant removes casket) 

Children (sing) 

You that choose not by the view. 
Or silver buckle on her shoe; 
Looking deeper than mere skin. 
To find out what there is within: 
Let us children tell you this ; 
Your choosing is not far amiss. 

Lawyer 

Marquis of Carenaught will make selection : 
And Mr. Leonard Cassatt, takes what remains. 
This is fortune's own doing; by lots drawn 
Before the contest. 

Carenaught (goes to Maud) Deah Miss Harrison; 
I was never clevah at games of chaunce, 
In fact have lost a fortune on the races: 
But if I lose the prize, deuce take it, 
You cawnt refuse your friendship. 



58 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



Maud My lord, 

I shall always feel highly honored, 
To be one of your friends. 
Carenaught {goes to caskets) First, beauty. 
Bring me the fairest creatures Europe born, 
That I may contrast them with Americans: 
And yet methinks in such a multitude, 
This lady would shine as bright as any. 
Beauty — why, surely, that must mean the lady. 
For she is almost peerless in her graces ! 
What says the othah casket? Ah, character. 
Good name in man or woman, my deah friends. 
Is but a mirror which reflects their souls : 
The homage paid to beauty, wealth, or power. 
Is trash ; 'Twas mine — 'tis yours — and soon 
Will be another's ; but our characters — 
Take them away, and we are poor indeed. 
I will take my chaunce with this one. 

{Attendant removes the casket) 
Children {sing) 

He ought wed one of the saints; 
Who never laces nor paints, 
Thinks it very immodest 
To wear a split skirt, 
And would not for the world 
Be considered a flirt; 
Because she has a character. 
Cassatt {goes to Maud) 
Lady, you see I have no choice ; my duty 
Is to take what's left ; the casket, beauty. 
If fate should entrust you to my keeping; 
Earth will be elysium: if not, I trust 
You will get one more worthy of you. 
Maud 

Kind sir, you know my prayers are with you. 
I fain would speak my heart secrets freely, 
But my peculiar plight puts a bridle 
On my tongue. {Cassatt goes to casket) 
Heaven help me, must I lose the man I love! 
That he has chosen right, is a fond hope, 
More slender than a hair. This bud of love, 
Which might have bloomed so fragrant, is 
Nipped by an early frost. {Aside) 
Cassatt What is beauty? 

A harmonious blending of graces and charms. 
The meaning of the word is lost sight of, 
And to-day it stands for made-up faces, 
Profusely adorned with rouges and laces. 
I might not have selected this casket ; 
It was compulsory: we have no choice, 
In things inevitable: a higher and a 
Wiser power, chooses for us. To him 
That trusts in an overruling Providence, 
Whatever happens is good luck. I take 
This casket gladly. 
Children {sing) 

All the world sighs for beauty, beauty! 
Beautiful features, beauty of clothes. 
Beauty of moonlight, beautiful rose. 
Beautiful mountains, beauty of sea. 
My own, thou art beautiful, I love thee. 



Lazvyer 

Now we will go and round up our luncheon, 
With some delicacies ; then return, open 
The caskets, and announce the lucky man. 

{Exeunt all but lawyer; he draws the draperies, and 

disappears) 

{Enter Ephraim) 
Ephraim 

Come in, sah, de lottery am over. 

{Enter Cheatham and Sly fellow) 
Slyfellow 

Did they have a lottery? 

Ephraim 

Yes, sah ; a very re-shar-chay affair. Does you 
think, sah, dat the Loosiana lottery is gwine to come 
back soon? 

Slyfellow 

I don't know ; I believe not. 
Ephraim 

They talk of de policy of de government; what it 
ought to be; but we nevah had any policy like the 
Loosiana, sah ; I alius had de coin in them days. 
Cheatham 

Stop that infernal talk, and bring Harrison here 
instantly. 
Ephraim 

Oh, Ise a gwine to. {Exit Ephraim) 
Slyfellow 

This will be a great shock to Harrison. 
Cheatham 

Well, it can't shock him any more than it has me: 
and besides, I guess he rather expected it. 
Slyfellow 

What makes you think so? 
Cheatham 

He had great nerve to ask us if the decision came 
out, to come here and tell him ; he wouldn't have 
made such an unreasonable request, unless he was 
frightened. 
Slyfellow 

That is true ; and so he may not be surprised that 
the case has gone against us ; but he will be frantic 
over the terrible consequences that have ensued. 

{Enter Harrison) 
Harrison 

Cheatham, Slyfellow, you here; what's the matter? 
Cheatham 

The United States Supreme Court has handed 
down its decision on the injunction. 
Harrison 

Well? 

Cheatham 

We are restrained permanently from dividing up, 
the whole, or any part, of the hundred millions. 
Harrison 

The devil! I about expected as much. How does 
the stock market take it ; almost a panic in the stock, 
I suppose? 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



59 



Slyfellow 

Worse than a panic — a regular crash! 

Harrison 

Damnation, I am sick at heart; all seems lost! I 
must be on the scene; I must try to give commands, 
even if the very walls are falling around me; wait, 
I will get my hat and go with you. 

Cheatham 

It's no use, curses on it ! The die is cast ; the 
brokers have sold us out ; they had to do it to save 
themselves : they got the best prices they could, but 
our money is all gone, and we are indebted to them 
in heavy amounts besides. 

Harrison 

Do you know, man, the extent of my calamity ? All 
my real estate is mortgaged up to the handle ; and 
the proceeds together with all my personal property, 
was put up with these brokers, to buy the stock : it 
is all gone ; and I owe them besides : I am a ruined 
man ; poorer than a beggar ; I am worse off than 
nothing ! 

Cheatham 

The other members of the clique, including my- 
self, lose as well as you : my losses, (not to speak it 
too profanely) make me damn mad! 

Slyfellow ■ 

Harrison, you need and have, our deepest sym- 
pathy in your woe. Your losses are greatest, be- 
cause you were by far the biggest member of the 
clique. 

Cheatham 
Come, Slyfellow, let us be going. 

Harrison 

I thank you gentlemen, for complying with my re- 
quest, and bringing me the news. But, stay My 

insolvency will soon be public gossip ; but at all haz- 
ards, I must keep it secret awhile. The brokers must 
be pledged to silence. 

Cheatham 

That was the first matter thought of; we warned 
the brokers, and they swore to keep mum. 
Harrison 

Ah; I am glad you thought of it. Good day. 
{Exeunt Cheatham and Slyfellozv) This disaster is 
awful ; I am crushed ; I can't think ; in my desperation 
any way of escape that presents itself, will be quickly 
embraced. Then there's that forged note that I gave 
to Trebals ; I can't pay it, and discovery will follow. 
I shall be convicted of a felony, and have to serve 
a term in jail. I did wrong; and fate seems deter- 
mined to expose me: for always when I was just 
about to pay it, something went wrong. What can 
be done? Why not have Vincent marry Esther? In 
that way I may be able to hush up the forged note ; 
besides, Trebals is worth many millions ; and God 
knows how I will now support those dependent upon 
me. As for this foolish farce here, it must go no 
farther: a Duke's influence is great. Maud must 
marry the Duke. Here are the keys — let me see; ah, 



I have it, now to open these, and if the diamond ring 
is not in the Duke's casket, then — put it there. The 
Duke chose wealth ; this one. {He opens it) Just 
as I thought — no easy matter to pick rightly out of 
four — not here. Let's try this one, beauty — not here. 
Another trial — disposition — ah, here it is! Von 
Schlammer won ! Now to gently transfer it to the 
wealth casket, the Duke's pick — lock them all up — and 
the job is done. {Exit) 

{Re-enter the Luncheon Party) 

Swamplands 

What has become of our host? 

Vincent 

Ephraim called him out: some callers I presume. 
Here he comes. 

{Re-enter Harrison) 
Harrison 

I crave your indulgence, ladies and gentlemen: 
some of my business associates had to see me on ur- 
gent matters. 

Maud 

But, dear father, you have yet to partake of your 
dessert. 

Harrison 

I had just finished as the summons came. 

Lawyer 

It was the wish of the late Mrs. Harrison 
That each casket with its enclosed gem. 
Should be kept by the unlucky choosers. 
As a slight token of her best wishes. 
Now we will open them, one by one: 
Beauty — Wealth — Character — Disposition. 
The diamond ring, lies in the Wealth casket: 
The Duke of Swamplands wins! {Applause and 
congratulations) 

Maud {aside) 

Have the skies too many sorrows 

Of their own, to help to lighten mine? 

Woe is me ! Torn from the man I love ; 
And given to one I do not even fancy! 

Szvaniplands 

I am very sorry foah you poor fellahs! 
But I have been always deuced clevah, 
At solving puzzles, don't you know. 
This young lady, is a charming creatuah, 
And a great prize : to win her with you 
Three chaps pitted against me, is a rare 
Bit of fortune ; like capturing the Derby, 
Or the Diamond Sculls ! {A Child takes the dia- 
mond ring and gives it to Sivamplands) 

Child 

Only timid lovers ever linger, 
Go put the ring upon her finger. 

{As Swamplands nears Maud, she staggers and 
falls in Alicia's arms) 

Alicia 
Great heavens, she has fainted! {Exeunt) 



60 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



ACT III 



Scene i. — A Street. 



{Enter Harrison, Vincent, and a Messenger Boy) 

Vincent 

Take this note to Miss Esther Trebals, and bring 
me an answer; make haste; she Hves over the pawn- 
broker shop, across the way. 

Mesenger 

I know sir, Trebals' big pawnbroking place. (Exit.) 
Harrison 

Now the only thing left for us to do, is to pos- 
sess our souls in patience, until the boy returns with 
Esther's answer. When she promised to elope with 
you to-night, was she eager ? Her mind might change 
at the last minute. 

Vincent 

Last night, the elopement was decided on, because 
we both thought it was the best thing to do. We 
were to be married to-night, and I was to call at the 
pawnshop to-day and arrange all the details ; first 
sending her word, and receiving her reply, so as to 
make sure that she was in the shop. She was ner- 
vous, naturally, and may change her mind. 

Harrison 

Well, we will soon see. Strange coincidence, that 
when I came to you this morning and suggested that 
you marry Esther in a clandestine manner, you had 
taken the bull by the horns and already planned an 
elopement for to-night. 

Vincent 

Your kindness, father, made my treachery and in- 
gratitude loom up darkly; can you ever forgive me? 
Harrison 

I have already done so. You know that I was bit- 
terly opposed to such an alliance. 

Vincent 

Yes, father, and that you now consented, is as sur- 
prising, as it is delightful. What caused your change 
of front? 

Hairison 

I had some reasons for it, which I won't go into 
now : besides, she is beautiful, you love her, and she 
will make a good wife. 
Vincent 

If Esther's reply says, come; you propose to have 
me go to the pawnshop and arrange with her the 
time, manner, etc., of our flight to-night: after giv- 
ing me time to do this, you will suddenly enter and 
angrily command me to leave, and never to visit the 
place again. 
Harrison 

Exactly ; that is what I said when we started here. 
He must be made to believe that I knew nothing of 
your plot; and am still bitter against your union. 
Vincent 

I have an idea. Esther and I didn't believe that 
Trebals would permit a marriage without your con- 
sent ; but you know he favored the match : why not 
let me tell him that you have consented? 



Harrison 

My pride wouldn't permit me to do that, after the 
way I scorned him: besides, he may grow suspicious; 
or even cranky, and oppose what he before favored. 
(Aside) When he finds out that I am bankrupt, if 
he knew that I had put up this job on him, I couldn't 
use one cent of his vast fortune ; and he would pros- 
ecute me on the forged note. 
Vincent 

Dear father, you walked away as though you were 
distressed : never mind, I will do as you say. Here 
comes the messenger ; let us go and meet him. 
(Exeunt) 

Scene H. — Trebals' Pawnbroker Shop on the Bow- 
ery. During the progress of this scene, two clerks 
stand behind the counter and wait upon the customers 
that come in to pawn from time to time, and this 
pawning is conducted in an undertone, and by dumb 
show, so as not to interfere with the action of the 
play. , . 

(Enter Max) 
Max 

Sometimes I says to mineself. Max, you bees von 
leetle fool : you love the sharming Esther ; but do you 
think she will ever love you? At times, she is so 
sugar sveet, that she vould loan money on me; and 
then she is so sour, as ven a hocker offers her a 
worthless thing to pawn. Mebbe her father wouldn't 
let me haf her anyways: he is the richest man on the 
East Side, and I am only his clerk. I think he wants 
to ved her to Vincent Harrison, that rich Gentile: 
he came to see Trebals vonce, met Esther, and now 
he sees her often; while her father vinks at it. He 
is a Gentile and I am a Hebrew : races should stick 
together in marrying; for ven the ancient Israelite 
took the Egyptian maid to wife : "Thy hand vill be 
against every man, and every man's hand against 
thee," vas the penalty laid on Ishmael, the dusky 
Hagar's offspring. 

(Enter Esther) 
Esther 

Oh, Max, I am very glad that you are here alone. 
Max 

Most sharming, Esther; do you really mean vot 
you just said? (Aside) Now she is sugar sveet, and 
mebbe vill make some love mit me. 
Esther 

For I have a favor to ask of you; and heed me 
good, Max, be sure and keep it a secret. 
Max 

You knows it, and I knows it, and nobody else is 
the wiser. 
Esther 

When father comes in, make some excuse to get 
away, and run with this note to Vincent Harrison. 
Max 

Vincent Harrison! All right, Esther. (Aside) 
Now, not herself but her vords, are as sour as vine- 
gar. 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



61 



Esther 

I just came in, and found a messenger from Vin- 
cent had been waiting five minutes. I told him to re- 
port that I would send a written answer by Max. 
Vincent is across the street: do^this. Max, and I will 
never forget you. {Exit) 

Max 

"Forget." I haf heard that vord somevere: ah, I 
knows, it was ven Trebals offered to loan a tough, 
one dollar on his vatch, and he told him to "forget 
it." Does Esther vant to haf some funs with me? 

{Enter Trebals) 
Trebals 

What was it that my daughter gave you, eh? Show 
it to me, like a goot boy. 
Max 

Why that was only a leetle trifle. 
Trebals 

Don't try to make humbug with me, Max ; it looked 
like a letter; out with it. 
Max 

Here it is then ; but Esther vill be mad yust like 
anythmg. 
Trebals 

So, so, a witch-hazel, sveet smelling epistle to Vin- 
cent. {Reads it, aside) "Dear Vincent: Don't fail 
to come over. In regard to the elopement, I want to 
say that, after much reflection, I have given up all 
thoughts of such a thing: I haven't the heart to leave 
father so." No wonder I call that girl a diamond; 
she is always thinking of her father. They were go- 
ing to skip ; that's just what I want ; it is the only 
way to get her in that high-toned family. Max, go 
bring Esther here. {While Trebals re-reads the note, 
Max returns zvith Esther) Mine little dear, when 
was the wedding to take place? 
Esther 

Oh, you have read my note. To-night, father, Vin- 
cent was coming here to tell me when to leave: can 
you ever forgive my intended desertion? 
Trebals 

I can — and will, if you do as I bid you: tear up 
this note, and send word to Vincent that you are all 
ready to elope ; to come and arrange the dovetails. 
Esther 

Details, father. 
Trebals 

Yes, yes, that is the word. 
Esther 

Then you consent to our nuptials? 
Trebals 

No, I don't consent ; I am mad like a wild bull — at 
least I want Harrison to think so: but I'll fix that 
with Vincent. Go and write as I told you. 
Esther 

All right, father. 

Trebals 
Max, you go along and carry the message. 
{Exeunt Esther and Max) 



{Enter a Policeman) 

Policeman {to a man at counter) 

Look here you fellow, what are you doin' with 
that suit of clothes? 

Pa^vner 

I want to pawn it ; I am hard up : what's that to 
you? — they're my clothes. 

Policeman 

None of your back talk, or I'll soon settle your 
hash. 

Trebals {approaching) 

What was the matter, Meester Copper? 
Policeman 

Why another cop and myself were coming down 
on a Third Avenue car, when this duffer and his pal 
got aboard : he had a loose suit of clothes on his arm, 
and it looked suspicious: they got off and one stood 
on the corner, while this fellow came in here. {Enter 
a Policeman with a Prisoner) Here comes the cop 
with the other one. 
Trebals 

Well, I am no fence : Trebals' Pawnshop is no re- 
ceptacle for stolen goods. 
Pawner 

Why you won't run a man in for pawning his own 
stuff, will yer? 
Policeman 

It's dollars to doughnuts that you are a pair of 
burglars: I'll just run through the pockets; perhaps 
there is something that will identify the owner. Yes, 
sure enough, here's a card ; that's not your name, is 
it? nor your friend's here? 
Pawner 

No 

Policeman 

I thought not. We will just take you two inno- 
cents to the Police Station. {Exeunt Policemen with 
Prisoners) 

{Re-enter Esther and Max with Vincent) 
Vincent 

Hello, Trebals ; I am very glad to see you, my good 
friend. 
Trebals 

You hello, too, Vincent. You are a little short of 
monish ; you have been too extravagant ; you want 
to hock something? Well, Esther will attend to you. 
{Trebals goes away) 
Vincent 

Sweet, I thank you for your promise — 

Hope stills the anguish of the anxious mind, 

And Cupid laughs when maidens grow so kind: 

Then you will be mine to-night? 
Esther 

But, Vincent, do you think this rash step to be for 
the best? 
Vincent 

Our union will prove the truth of the adage, that, 
"Love laughs at locksmiths"; and the falsity of the 



62 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



adage that, "The course of true love never runs 
smooth." 

Esther 

So be it, Vincent; I will go. 

Vincent 

Pretty Jewess! I take you, the richest treasure of 
your father, and leave in pledge my true heart's 
plighted faith. {They go aside and converse) 

{Enter the Duke of Szvamplands, disguised) 

Swamplands 

I think my disguise is awfully clevah : I do not be- 
lieve that any fellah could penetrate it, and discover 
underneath, the Duke of Swamplands. What would 
Harrison and his guileless daughter say, if they knew 
that I frequented pawnshops? It is no disgrace to 
be poah, but it is deuced inconvenient, old chap, foah 
you are forced to pawn some personal effects to meet 
present requirements. 

Trebals 
Well, mine friend; what can we do for you? 

Szvamplands 

Are you Mr. Simpson, the proprietor? 

Trebals 

Pooh, Simpson — no, I am Trebals, the proprietor. 

Swatnplands 

You see, I am from abroad ; and I am visiting the 
slums. 

Trebals 

The slums! What you think, this is no slums. 

Swamplands 

Don't interrupt, cawnt you wait till I finish? I am 
visiting the slums, and othah places of interest, in 
your city, to get the material for a fawncy article in 
London "Temple Bar," don't you know. 

Trebals 

No, I don't; how should I. 
Swamplands 

Among your numerous clientele 

Trebals 

Clientele! — was the devil is das? 
Swamplands 

Patrons, my dear fellah: among your numerous 
patrons, which class prevails ; those who come here 
through necessity, or those who come here through 
depravity ? 
Trebals 

Oh, many peoples want to get rid of all useful 
things, to buy fine dress ; while with others it is yust a 
habit, like drinking or gambling ; some, of course, are 
forced here by actual want — ^by poverty. 
Szvamplands 

Poverty — a dreadful word ! Well, old top, there is 
no use to conceal the truth longer, I am deuced hard 
up and am obliged to pawn this diamond star ; I 
cawnt tell you how much I dislike doing it, for it is 
a heirloom, do you understand, a heirloom in our 
family. 



Trebals 

No, I don't understand, I nix versteh; we have 

some fine hair oil in our family; but heirloom — I 
never heard of that. 

Szvamplands 

Heirlooms are rich and rare jewels, that have been 
in the possession of the nobility for centuries, and 
which they do not like to part with : they are a dis- 
tinguishing mark of rank and royalty ; your ignor- 
ance is natural, for you have no such insignia ; you 
are one of the common people — only a pawnbroker. 

Trebals 

Donner wetter ! you call me common, only a pawn- 
broker; do you see these three balls? They are far 
more precious than any of your heirlooms. As part 
of an escutcheon, they were blazoned on the shields 
of the rich and noble family of the Medici ; the first 
pawnbrokers : were handed down by them to their 
descendants ; and we have had them in our family 
ever since! 

Swamplands 

Aw, quite a clevah yarn from history; and really 
a fact, too. 

Trebals 

Yust excuse me a moment. (Aside) Damme, here 
comes Harrison ! H I tell Vincent, he'll stay and 
face him, and they will quarrel ; no, I will keep mums 
and get him out of the way. Say, Vincent, you and 
Esther, please and step into that room a minute. 

Vincent 
All right, Trebals. 

Trebals 

I have a leetle private business. (He shoves them 
in and locks the door) 

Max 

They both prides them on their ancestors : the one 
boasts of heirlooms, and the other brags of three 
gilded balls. It vas no use ; Trebals is vain and proud 
like a peacock, and would say "Raus mit him," if he 
even suspected that I vas sveet on his shild. For 
truly good birth, I am more worth than either of 
them : I am named Max, after my father ; and my 
father is the original Max, who started the first 
"Busy Bee" lunch room. Now, the devil comes to 
me, and tempts me! He says. Max, pack up a big 
bundle of watches, diamonds, and other valuable 
things and run avay ; my conscience says, no, Max, 
think of your distinguished family ; the devil says 
run, my conscience says be honest ; and between the 
two I have the devil's own time, even if I have not 
yet took his adwice. 

(Enter Harrison) 
Harrison 

Where the devil, is this man, Trebals? Zounds! I 
will see him at once ! 
Trebals 

Here I am. Why, Meester Harrison! What can 
I do for you? Negotiate a loan to you, taking your 
old clothing for securities? 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



63 



Harrison 

None of your vulgar witticisms, sir. I won't have 
my son coming here — do you hear me ? Damn it ! do 
you apprehend ? He was seen just now to enter here : 
where is he? 
Trebals 

What I know? I am not your son's keeper. Damn 
it! do you apprehension me, sir? 
Harrison 

But, he was here ; what made him go out ? 

Trebals 
Vv'hat made him go out? Why, I pushed him. 

Harrison 

You pushed him! What do you mean? What for? 

Trebals 

Just because I didn't want him in here — and I 
don't want you here, either. I came to you, and 
voluntarily ofifered you the honor and distinction of 
an alliance with the rich and illustrious Trebals fam- 
ily; and you scorned me, sir. The Knights of the 
Three Balls, never forget — and seldom forgive — an 
insult. 
Harrison 

Such a union would be a mesalliance. 

Trebals 

Such a union, would be a mess — an unsavory mess. 

Harrison 

My son shall never marry your daughter, unless he 
elopes with her! 
Trebals 

My daughter shall never marry your son, unless 
she elopes with him! (They shake fists) 
Clerk (behind the counter) 

Under the powerful microscope, these stones show 
a yellow tinge. 
Swamplands 

You are a nawsty liar! 
Clerk 

Here, take your diamonds, and get out! (Clerk 
comes out) 
Swamplands 

I'll chawstise you, sir! 
Clerk 

Get out, I say! (Pushes him) 
Swamplands 

You vulgah, impertinent cad! The ideah to call 
the Swamplands jewels yellow! I'll teach you! (They 
grapple, and Swamplands' wig comes off) 
Harrison 

Merciful powers — the Duke of Swamplands! 
Swamplands 

Harrison! — you here? What a deuced unlucky 
chaunce! (Exit the Duke, and then Harrison, as 
Trebals unlocks the door and lets Esther and Vincent 
in) 

Scene III. — Centre Street, in front of the Tombs. 
(Enter Trebals and a lawyer.) 



Lawyer 

We are very near the court room now, and the trial 
won't come up for five minutes ; let us pause and get 
our breaths. — Continue, now. 

Trebals 

As I said, this Harrison gave me the forged note; 
and he should be treated just the same as poor crim- 
inals. When we went before the Magistrate yester- 
day why didn't you show him the note, and get a 
warrant out for Harrison's arrest? 

Lazvyer 

Simply because I thought the best and safest way 
for you was to have him summon all the parties in in- 
terest ; examine them ; and then issue the warrant on 
his own volition ; if you had insisted yesterday upon 
an arrest warrant, and the Magistrate find the evi- 
dence insufficient, Harrison could bring a suit against 
you for heavy damages. 

Trebals x 

Damages ! Heavy damages ! Father Abraham, then 
I am glad you didn't "do it. Harrison is a hopeless 
bankrupt ; the endorser is not liable because his name 
was forged; and the note is worth nothings; I lose 
one hundred thousand dollars ; but I will be amply re- 
venged for it, and the other injuries he has done me ; 
but heavy damages,— hold me, I feel such a faintness. 

Lawyer . 

Steady, there.— Come we had best be movmg.— Did 
not Harrison's son Vincent marry your daughter 
Esther? 
Trebals 

Yes, they eloped; and my pet wed the son of a 
prodigal; for Harrison had lost all his mazuma at 
the time and was a pauper. He is poorer than Job's 
turkey. His poverty was kept secret awhile, but it 
finally got into all the newspapers. His wealthy 
friends all deserted him, so he wanted to ally himself 
with the rich Trebals, before the news came out ;— but 
I will have revenge ! (Exeunt) 

(Enter Harrison) 
Harrison 

Now are the happy thoughts of former days, 
Turned by misfortunes into terrors ; 
For shorn of my wealth by one fell blow, 
I stand, too, a chance to lose my liberty. 
See, yonder yawns the grim and ghastly Tombs; 
All hope abandon, ye who enter there : 
Christened with the awful name of "tombs" 
Because it is the graveyard of dead hopes: 
With loud and frantic outcries of despair. 
Its victims sink behind its gloomy walls. 
Built like the Mosques of the Mohammedans, 
W^ith gables ; and a high tower with balconies : 
From such a minaret, the Turkish muezzin. 
Summons the faithful to their daily prayers: 
And aught else but prayer, there nothing is. 
That can avail in prison : and better thus ; 
For stricken sore, they turn then to their pod : 
While rich men's crimes do flourish in their filth ; 
And defiant here, will meet the eternal doom. 

(Exit) 



64 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



Scene IV. — A Magistrate's Court. 

Clerk 

George Wilson, to the bar. {An OMcer brings Wil- 
son from the wire cage.) 

Magistrate 

Officer, let us hear what you have to say against 

this man? 

Officer 

He was drunk and disorderly, your Honor, and I 
had to take him in. 

Magistrate 

Wilson, what have you to say to this charge? 

Wilson 

I wouldn't be so discourteous as to contradict the 
officer. 
Magistrate 

Thirty days in the Penitentiary. {The prisoner is 
removed) 
Clerk 

Jennie Travers, to the bar. {An Officer brings Jen- 
nie from the wire cage) 
Magistrate 

Jennie, you are charged with soliciting men for 
immoral purposes. A few months ago you were here 
on the same charge, and I let you go, on a promise 
to reform. 
Jennie {crying) 

I tried to get work, sir, and did on two occasions, 
but my employers soon found out about me, and dis- 
charged me. 
Magistrate 

Officer, you are sure that she was soliciting? 
Officer 

I am, your Honor. 
Magistrate 

I am sorry, Jennie, but I will have to sentence you 
to the Penitentiary for sixty days. {The prisoner is 
removed, sobbing loudly) 
Magistrate 

Trebals, complainant: against Harrison. An ex- 
amination into an alleged forgery. The complainant, 
Trebals, has importuned us so hard, that we issued 
summonses for the accused, and some witnesses who 
it is claimed can give testimony against him. The 
fixed hour has now arrived, and this cause must in- 
terrupt our regulated course of session. I say, is 
Harrison here? 
Harrison 

Yes, your Honor. 
Magistrate 

You are charged with the commission of a crime. 
You may understand, sir, that all persons who are 
proceeded against criminally, are brought alike be- 
fore the Magistrate Courts. Misdemeanors are pun- 
ished by the Magistrates themselves ; but in graver 
crimes, the accused are held for trial before higher 
tribunals ; and to this end are either locked up in the 
Tombs ] or paroled oh bail. 



Harrison 

I understand you perfectly, your Honor. 

{Enter Trebals) 
Magistrate 

I am sorry for you ; a gentleman of high standing 
in the community ; to be exposed to the rude and 
scornful gaze of a promiscuous crowd. 

Trebals 

Oh, that will do him goot. 

Magistrate 

I told your accuser that the examination might 
take place in my chambers ; but he, destitute of pity, 
demanded that it be held in open court ; which, being 
well within his rights, I could not gainsay. 

Trebals 
What you think? This is no full dress party. 

Magistrate 

Silence ! — Kind sir, it is hoped that Trebals will 
think better of this matter, and here before our face ■ 
will withdraw this seeming groundless charge, and 
with ample apologies to yourself and wounded honor, 
together you will go from here in friendship and in 
amity. 

Harrison 

Yet, if he remain obdurate ; my spirit, almost brok- 
en under misfortunes, and the penalties of doing 
wrong, will scarcely feel the added stroke. 

Magistrate 

Trebals, there are some who think, myself among 
the number, that you through pure malice and bitter 
hate have trumped up a charge against this financier, 
which though it may have a show of truth, is yet es- 
sentially both base and false ; and that when your fury 
has run a wearying course, you will excuse yourself, 
withdraw the charge, and confess that you have done 
this man a grievous wrong. 

Trebals 

I will confess nothings ; I will have the law on him, 
or you shall confess that your judiciary and courts 
are but travesties of justice. Why did you not put 
him in the prisoners' pen there, where you put the 
poor criminals : who though their sins are light, yet 
are locked up like pigs in a pen, to wait their fate ; as 
arrest is almost equivalent to conviction. You show 
no alacrity to pursue the rich malefactors: and when 
they are brought here ; you set them free as easily as 
water is bailed out of a leaking boat. 

Magistrate 

Well, you shall have justice : — look to it that some 
of it does not react upon yourself. Take the witness 
chair : — now swear that all your evidence shall \fe. the 
truth. 

Trebals 
I never swear. 

Magistrate 

You affirm: — raise your right hand. {Trebals af- 
firms) You have conscientious scruples againpt 
swearing ? 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



65 



Trebals 

I have no scruples, as you call them, against any- 
thing. 

Magistrate 

What is it, then? 

Trebals 

I stopped swearing, because I had so many com- 
petitors ; there are too many people using cuss words. 

Magistrate 

You don't apprehend me; but no matter: — now go 
on with your testimony. 

Trebals 
Was is das? 

Magistrate 

Ha, ha, you are not familiar with that word : — I 
mean, tell me your story: what you accuse Harrison 
of. 

Trebals 

What I accuse him of : listen, — I wanted my daugh- 
ter to become one of the four hundred, so I got her 
to marry his son ; and then he, — her father-in-law, 
goes and loses all his money. 
Magistrate 

We take no cognizance of such matters here. I 
thought you said he gave you a forged note? 
Trebals 

Yes, he did. 
Magistrate 

You have the note with you? 
Trebals 

I have it in my pockets : here it is. (Magistrate 
takes note) 
Magistrate 

Now, what part of this note is a forgery? 
Trebals 

The name of Goldstone on the back. 
Magistrate 

This endorsement of Isidore Goldstone? 
Trebals 

Yaw. 
Magistrate 

Tell us all about this note, and how you know that 
his name is forged? 
Trebals 

I loaned him one hundred thousand dollars on his 
note: the day the note came due, he sends for me to 
come to his office, that he wanted to renew it. 
Magistrate 

And you went ? 
Trebals 

I went, because I wanted to show him my diamond. 
Magistrate 

Your diamond? 
Trebals 

Yes, — my daughter, Esther. 
Magistrate 

Oh, leave her out! 



Trebals 
What? 

Magistrate 

Come, go on with your story. 

Trebals 

I told Harrison that I would renew the note, but he 
would have to have a goot endorser; he told me very 
goot, wait a minute: he went back to his private of- 
fice, where Goldstone happened to be sitting at the 
time ; and soon he was back with this note. 

Magistrate 

You say that Goldstone was in the private office : 
his name here on the back of the note, might have 
been written then and there: how do you know that 
it was not? 

Trebals 

It was written then and there, but not by Goldstone, 
Magistrate 

Not by Goldstone: by who, then? 
Trebals 

Meester Harrison. 
Magistrate 

Incredible, sir: — what makes you think so? 
Trebals 

I don't think it ; I am sure of it ; because I know 
Goldstone's writing. 
Magistrate 

How can you be sure of it: you are not an expert? 
Trebals 

Was is das? 
Magistrate 

Why, an expert is one who is skilled in his busi- 
ness. You are not skilled in handwriting, — but you 
are skilled in your pawnbroker's business, are you 
not? 
Trebals 

You bet I am ! Why I have some hockers who in- 
sist that their Waterbury watches contain Swiss 
movements: and others come to soak watches whose 
cases are filled with lead, pewter or brass, and yet 
swear that they are solid gold. They want to get my 
geld. 
Magistrate 

Ah, I see : — and to ascertain the real nature of the 
metal you have to use acid? 
Trebals 

Nein, — I use X-Rays. 
Magistrate 

Have you in your establishment a light penetrating 
enough to pierce into solid substances: — the wonder- 
ful X-Ray? 
Trebals 

Yaw, — I have it in my eyes. 
Magistrate 

You meant to say that you have an unusual keen- 
ness of vision. Why did you call it an X-Ray? 
Trebals 

Because it has saved me many a ten-dollar bill. 



66 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



Magistrate 

Ha, ha ! — When did you first notice the forgery ? 

Trebals 
Right away when he gave me the note. 

Magistrate 

Did you say anything to him about it? 
Trebals 

I said nothings. 
Magistrate 

Why not? 
Trebals 

Because I wanted to have somethings on him. 
Magistrate 

Did you expect ever to charge him with forgery? 
Trebals 

Listen. He hadn't lost his money then, and I 
iwanted Esther to become number four hundred and 
one; if he helped me I would keep quiet about the 
forgery ; if he didn't I would turn him over to the law. 
Magistrate 

Trebals, your motive is perfectly palpable : you 
wanted to hold the note over his head, in terrorem. 
Trebals 

Was is das? I have heard me of ta-ra-ra bum te-a, 
but "in terrorem" — nix versteh. 
Magistrate 

That phrase means, in a threatening manner. Well, 
I think we have heard all of your evidence : you may 
leave the stand. {To the Clerk) What other parties 
were summoned in this case ? 
Clerk 

Isidore Goldstone, and a handwriting expert. 
Magistrate 

Let them appear. 
Clerk 

Isidore Goldstone, please come forward. {No re- 
sponse) Not present, your Honor. The Paying Tell- 
er of the East Side Bank, please come forward. {The 
Paying Teller comes forzvard) 
Magistrate 

Take the witness stand. You swear that your evi- 
dence shall be true. {He swears) Are you able to 
swear whether the endorsement of Goldstone on the 
back of this note is genuine or not? 
Teller {looking at note) 

I am. 
Magistrate 

How is it that you are able to do so? 
Teller 

Because Isidore Goldstone is a depositor in the East 
Side Bank, of which I am the Paying Teller. 
Magistrate 

Ah. that being so, you must be very familiar with 
his signature? 
Teller 

Yes, your honor. 
Magistrate 

Is that Goldstone's handwriting? 



Teller 
It is not. 

Magistrate 

Do you swear positively that it is not? 

Teller 

I do. 
Magistrate 

That is all ; you may leave the stand. Harrison, the 
evidence in this case demands that you be held for 
the action of the Grand Jury. 
Trebals 

O, worthy Magistrate! O, upright Judge! 
Magistrate 

The Court will admit you to bail in the sum of ten 
thousand dollars ; which I presume you can easily pro- 
cure? 
Harrison 

No, your Honor ; my recent ventures have been so 
disastrous that I am hopelessly bankrupt ; there is 
scarcely a thing that I can call my own. I may yet 
have a friend whose friendship survives the loss of 
fortune; but I have made no effort to search for such 
a one. 
Magistrate 

I am sorry for you, then, but you will have to be 
confined. 
Trebals 

O, most wise Judge! A second Solomon dispens- 
ing justice! 
Magistrate 

Now, Harrison, if you have anything that you would 
like to say we will lend an attentive ear. 
Harrison 

But little at this time. Fortune has acted in my af- 
fairs, as is her custom. It has ever been her way 
with those she really loves, to slowly wean them from 
their love of the world and turn them from the mor- 
bid and discontenting lusts of wealth, to emulate the 
usages that prevail in that sweet after land of im- 
maculate conceptions. My rapid rise and sudden fall 
have taught me this : A thankful heart doth get 
much out of little ; but a greedy heart gets little out of 
much. 
Magistrate 

Good, sir. I am glad to see you take the rebuffs 
of fortune in this philosophic way. Officer, do your 
duty. {Officer takes Harrison and starts to go) 

{Enter Goldstone) 
Goldstone 

Your Honor, I am a little late, from no fault of 
mine ; a breakdown on the cars. 
Magistrate 

Your excuse is a valid one. As long as you are 
present it seems only proper that we should take your 
testimony. Let the prisoner remain. Take the stand 
Goldstone. You swear or affirm to tell the truth, the 
whole truth and nothing but the truth. 
Goldstone 

I do. {He raises right hand) 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



67 



Hummer {noted Criminal lawyer) 

As counsel for the defendant Harrison, I object, 
your Honor, to the admission of the evidence of this 
man, in that it will be a rank injustice to the defend- 
ant. Harrison is bankrupt, cannot pay the note, and 
Goldstone will have to pay one hundred thousand dol- 
lars if the endorsement is proven to be his. Here we 
have a direct and powerful motive to commit perjury, 
by swearing^ that the writing is not his ; and were such 
perjury committed, it would ^o far towards convicting 
my client on the charge of forgery. Besides, your 
honor, this witness is of the same stock and race as 
the accuser. 

Magistrate 

What would you think of a man, who to aid another 
simply because he was of the same nationality, would 
even palter with the truth? 

Hummer 

I should regard such a course of conduct as utterly 
inconsistent with the rectitude of conscientious scrup- 
ulosity. 

Maf'istrate 

Then I forbid vou ever making a?ain in this Court 
such a race-prejudice base insinuation as you have 
just made against Mr. Goldstone. 

Hummer 

I apolosfize, your Honor ; my zeal for my client led 
me too far. 

Magistrate (hands note to Goldstone') 
Look at this note. 

Trehals 

He never signed it ; if he swears true I lose a hun- 
dred thousand, but gain my revenge; if he swears 
false, (he'll have to pav the note) I lose my reveng^e, 
but gain a hundred thousand. {Extends his arms 
sidezvays to resemble a scale) Money — Revenue : Ra- 
ven "e-^Monev: which of the two weighs the heavier? 
— Father Abraham, I cannot part with either ! 

Magistrate 

Goldstone, the uncontradicted evidence in this case 
shows that the note you are examinins- was eiven to 
the complainant Trebals by the defendant Harrison; 
and it purports to have been endorsed by you. Tre- 
bals asserts that your name on the back was_ not 
written by you ; but that it is a forgery of Harrison. 
The Paying Teller of the East Side Bank testifies also 
that your name is forged. Is that your handwriting? 
Did you endorse this note? 
Goldstone {agitated) 

Did I endorse the note^let me see ; I don't remem- 
ber,— I must have time to think:— I will refresh my 
memory by a talk with Harrison. 
Magistrate 

Very well. {Goldstone leaves the stand and con- 
fers with Harrison) 
Trebals 

He wants time to think; the truth springs from 
the lips like the gracious water, when Moses struck 
the rock ; but the lie takes time to think. 



Goldstone {aside to Harrison) 

That is not my writing; who put my name there? 
Surely you can prove your innocence? 

Harrison 

It is all my doing ; I wrote your name on the back ; 
but heaven help me, with no intent to defraud you ; I 
was sure that I would be able to pay it ; I knew that 
it was dishonorable; but to me it did not seem a 
crime. 

Goldstone 

Alas, what can I say — what can I do to help you! 
Harrison 

Nothing, — you must tell the truth : and I, the once 
rich and proud Harrison, shall become a convicted 
felon. 
Goldstone 

No, no, dear friend, that is too shameful. The 
Bible says, what is more glorious than that a man 
lay down his life for his friend ; I am required to 
make no such sacrifice to save you. I think that I 
can do it without even sacrificing my honor, and the 
end justifies the means. {Goldstone takes the stand 
again) 
Magistrate 

Well, Goldstone, are you able now to answer? 

Goldstone 

Yes, your Honor. 
Magistrate 

Is the endorsement yours? 
Goldstone 

It was endorsed by my agent; and I hereby con- 
firm his action. That binds me to pay the note, and I 
will do so. 
Trebals 

I won't submit to it. This is a lie to get him out of 
the jug; but your Honor won't allow them to pull the 
wool over your eyes. You will lock him up? 

Aiagistrate 

Why, Trebals, you almost make me believe with 
Pythagoras in the transmigration of souls; for that 
soul that now controls your body is as cruel and un- 
natural as a ravening wolf. This gentleman, Mr. 
Goldstone, is one of your own race ; even if he did 
strain a legal point to save a friend, his act was kind, 
humane, and merciful. 

Trebals 

Men don't show mercy unless they make a profit 
by it, or because they are forced to. 
Magistrate 

Our tendencies to mercy are not constrained; 

But awaken of themselves: and once aroused, 

They flow onward like the mighty Mississippi ; 

Whose strong current and compulsive course, 

Ne'er feels retiring ebb, but keeps right on, 

And empties in the Gulf of Mexico ! 

Trebals 

Harrison never showed me mercy. 

Har7'ison 
Your Honor, you might as well stand on the ocean 



68 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



beach and attempt to stem the rising tide ; or bid the 
hurricane gusts of heaven to spare your favorite 
trees, as seek to sway his hate. 

Trebals 

Hates any man a thing deserving of his love? He 
laughs at my losses, begrudges my gains, and in de- 
rision calls me a Jew. Is not a Jew the same as a 
Christian? If you tickle us, do we not giggle? If 
you strike us, do we not holler? Are not Jews' out- 
sides or cases, and insides or works, just the same as 
Christians'? I am very rich, and my Esther was 
queen of the east side four thousand ; but I wasn't 
satisfied. I wanted her to become one of the west side 
four hundred ; so against the traditions of my race I 
married her to the son of this Christian gentleman, 



who was reputed to be worth thirty millions, and isn't 

worth thirty cents. 

Magistrate 

Well, Trebals, I am deeply sorry for you ; it is very 
bitter to meet with reverses in our social ambitions. 
Unfortunately this Court can afford you no relief ; 
you may get it in a court of equity. 
Trebals 

Himmel 1 He is trying to have some fun mit me. 
M agist ?■ ate 

As for you, Harrison, you are honorably discharged 
from custody, and the complaint against you dis- 
missed. The Court regrets that you have been sub- 
jected to these indignities. (Repressed applause, and 
exeunt Harrison, Goldstone and Trebals) 



ACT IV 



Scene I. — Reception Room of the Harrison Man- 
sion. 

(Enter Von Schlammer and Alicia) 

Von Schlammer 

Fraulein, as I arrived here a little early I thought 
that instead of going directly to the parlors, where 
Miss Harrison and the Duke of Swamplands are to be 
united in the holy bands of matrimony, I would first 
come to the reception room. 

Alicia 

And as I happened to be passing we just met by 
chance. 

Von Schlammer 

Yes, lucky chance ! But tell me, why wasn't the af- 
fair held in the church? 

Alicia 

Why, Miss Harrison pleaded for a simple wedding, 
and her father, almost heartbroken over his loss of 
fortune, at last consented. The very few friends who 
stuck to him in adversity were the only ones invited. 

Von Schlammer 

How does the Duke take his prospective father-in- 
law's downfall? 

Alicia 

When I see him in company with Maud he acts like 
a man who had a white elephant on his hands, but 
was trying heroically to make the best of it. 

Von Schlammer 

The fair, the charming Miss Maud Harrison, will 
soon be the Duchess of Swamplands. It only lacks 
fifteen minutes of the time set for the ceremony. Our 
own wedding will follow swift upon ; only one week 
apart. Alicia, you love me, don't you? 

Alicia 

Yes, but 

Von Schlammer 

But what? 
Alicia 

I feel that I am doing you a great wrong. I am so 
far beneath you. 



Von Schlammer 

No, mein liebes Lamm! You are as far above me 
as the skies are from the earth ! 
Alicia 

Then, too, I am haunted by the spectre of the 
drunkard ; you may give way to intemperance again. 
Von Schlammer 

Alicia, life is but a struggle between opposing pas- 
sions — some good — others bad. My love for you is 
divine ! My love for liquor beastly ! Guarded by you 
and sweet children why should I not continue to re- 
sist the tempter? And our home would rise an earthly 
paradise, where the serpent had forever given up hope 
to enter. 
Alicia 

Dear Otto, you have painted the picture very fair; 
and although the reality fall short of it, still peace and 
joy may be there. But I must leave you now. I have 
to prepare myself and put the finishing touches to the 
bride's toilet. 
Von Schlammer 

Adieu then, Fraulein, for a few moments. I left 
Carenausht in the billiard room. I will join him 
there. (Exeunt) 

(Enter Maud in bridal dress concealed by a cloak) 
Maud 

No one here? I thought that I might see Leonard. 
Shame on me. Niobe, who wept so over the death of 
her children, had no more cause for sorrow than I 
have over my buried hopes. Torn from the man I 
love and decked out in silks and laces to be bound 
forever to a man that I am not even attached to ! Can 
a more dreadful fate be imagined for a woman ; a 
fragile, delicate plant that subsists almost entirely up- 
on affection? O, woe is mine! Woe is me! (She 
breaks out in a paroxysm of grief) 
(Enter Cassatt) 
Cassatt 

Maud — Miss Harrison — you here! And in tears! 
This piteous spectacle is not unlike my dream. 
Maud 

What dream? 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



69 



Cassatt 

I dreamt last night that the diamond ring that the 
Duke chose turned into a snake on your finger, and bit 
you. Then I seemed to see your mother standing by 
your side and beckoning me to come and take you. 
Maud 

Oh, I, too, often lie awake in restless ecstasy, 
dreaming such horrid fancies. They are but the off- 
spring of a mind laboring under grief. 
Cassatt 

Your anguish and my anguish make it sure that the 
happiness of two lives are at stake ; you must refuse 
to go farther with this tragedy. 
Maud 

Alas, I can do nothing I 
Cassatt 

Strong in your woman's sense of right, you can 
refrain from uttering hollow and insincere mockeries 
of solemn marriage vows. If your father forbids you 
the house a temporary asylum can be found in some 
respectable family. A few days to have our troth well 
plighted, and then we'll go to the church and be united. 
Maud 

Would to heaven that it might be so, Leonard ! But 
it is impossible; for I am resolved to suffer anything 
rather than become unfilial, and undutiful to my la- 
mented mother. 
Cassatt 

But your mother devised the scheme of the caskets 
out of her great love for you ; to guard and protect 
you. She would be filled with remorse and horror 
could she know of your present peril. No, for my 
sake, for your sake, for her sake, you must refuse 
to marry the Duke! 
Maud 

Leonard, you could not nor did not know my 
mother as I knew her. She was an earthly saint, and 
I believe that it was impossible for her to have had 
a wrong inspiration upon a matter so very, very dear 
to her as my welfare. Yes, I shall obey her behest 
and leave the rest to Providence. 
Cassatt 

Heaven help me ! I believe it has — for my soul ris- 
ing above agony, soars into exultation over your ex- 
hibition of noble womanhood 1 
Maud {extending hand) 

Farewell ! 

Cassatt 

Farewell 1 Oh, fatal knell ; a word that makes one 
shudder, yet farewell! (Exit Maud) When I lose 
you the light goes out and darkness comes. {Exit) 

{Enter Harrison) 
Harrison 

My downfall is complete ; and has now become no- 
torious. The gorgeous religious, commercial and so- 
cial structure that I built, rested not on the rock of 
moral excellence, but on the quicksand of money: 
and the winds of heaven came and beat upon that 
temple, and great was the fall thereof. Nothing will 
ever make the rich man repent, and see the folly of 



his ways, but adversity. The awful blows that I have 
received may prove my salvation. Yet my conver- 
sion is but half accomplished: I begin to see that the 
golden calf was but a poor substitute to worship in 
place of the Almighty; I have lost my antipathy to 
Trebals and Cassatt; appreciate their real worth, and 
could easily learn to like them. But the caskets; 
there's the rub: I lack the courage to confess, that I 
tampered with them : although through the base de- 
ception, Maud is not to marry the winner, Von 
Schlammer, but goes to the Duke. Under the old 
light, this marriage seemed a blessing ; under the new 
light, it seems a curse. The only thing that I have 
to console me is that Von Schlammer might not have 
proved any more desirable. 

{Enter Addison and Algernon) 
Harrison 

Addison and Algernon, my good friends, I am glad 
that you are here ! 

Addison 

But my dear fellow, you look sad — must it be so? 
why not put a merrier visage on? 

Harrison 

Some of my sins have died ; and I am in mourning 
for them. I borrowed half a million from you two 
gentlemen, which you would have lost, had I not 
deeded this mansion to you as security. I owe you 
much in money — more in love; and from that love, 
I have the privilege to hold this wedding here. This 
house belongs to you ; these very walls are yours, as 
mortgage for the debt; and after to-day you shall 
have possession. 

Algernon 

Do not hurry so ; it will suffice if you vacate within 
the week. Were we free to act our pleasure, you 
should not leave at all, but we had to borrow to loan 
to you. 

{Enter Goldstone) 
Harrison 

Excuse me, I will rejoin you in a trice. Isidore 
Goldstone, welcome ! My rescuer, deliverer ; the good 
Goldstone, the generous Goldstone — oh, that I had an 
epithet jxpressive enough to qualify your name ! 

Goldstone 

Stop and consider, Harrison, and use your encom- 
iums sparingly. What am I? Our race, by a large 
part of the world, is held in scorn and hatred. The 
most scathing harangue of bitter invective is sur- 
passed when men say that Goldstone — is a Jew. 

Harrison 

Men say many things rather than their prayers; 

things they know little about ; things they don't mean. 

You — why you lost one hundred thousand dollars to 

keep me from a felon's cell : you paid the guilty note 

I gave to Trebals. Speak of the devil, and he always 

appears. 

{Enter Trebals, follozved by Vincent, Esther and 
Carenaught; they stand in a group. Harrison and 
Goldstone join Addison, Algernon, Slyfellow and 
Steel. The last two having just entered) 



70 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



Trebals 

So, this is the palatial mansion, where Meester Har- 
rison lives, eh? Solomon, in his glory, had a ten 
years' lease on yust such a property. But he can't stay 
here ; and I gloat over it : he is going to be put out ; 
the same as the poor people of the East Side are for 
the non-payment of rent. Harrison, the plutocratic — 
the aristocratic — the autocratic — or any other atic — 
has to leave and go into an attic ! 

Esther 

Father, you ought not give way to hatred : you must 
not only love your friends, but you must love your 
enemies also. 

Trebals 

I love my friends, but I keep my eyes peeled when 
I am with them : my enemies — are enemies, in spite of 
my love. 

Esther 

Mister Harrison, is Vincent's father, and you were 
always crazy to have me marry Vincent. 

Trebals 

That was to make you one of the four hundred ; 
but your father-in-law lost all his monish, and is now 
as poor as a church mouse. Fate seems against you, 
Esther, I thinks me that you and Vincent will have 
to open a delicatessen. 

Vincent 

Ha, Ha, Trebals! A delicatessen — to sell sauer- 
kraut, mixed pickles and cheese; not for ours, eh, 
Esther ? 

Esther 

You must not take the remark of father, seriously ; 
he is very fond of his jokes. 

Trebals 

Then why not go in the pawnbroker's business? 
My hock shop may soon be sold out under the ham- 
mer: you can buy it cheap, and Max, of the "Busy 
Bee" ancestry, will be throv^^n in to boot. Esther 
knows all the tricks of that trade. 

Vincent 

You are a practical man, Trebals ; you know that 
a newly-married couple cannot live ofif of love, alone ; 
and that it is always a struggle to pay expenses. I 
thank you for this solicitude. I am sure that Esther 
and I will get along : we are devoted to each other, 
and that is a whole lot to a young pair just starting 
out together. 

Esther 

Oh, I am so happy with Vincent, and I look for- 
ward to the future with confidence. I am so fortunate, 
that I will try to be content, whether I either lack the 
good things of this life, or abound in them. 

Carenaught 

By Jove! I rather like this marrying, don't you 
know : it seems to stir one up to say or do something 
quite quixotic, and absurd : but deuce take it, Cas- 
satt and myself, have been unlucky in our attempts 
to hitch up with a running mate. 



Esther 

But Marquis, you may not have yet run across the 
right one. 
Carenaught 

Perhaps not; but I attribute my failure to othah 
causes. On the othah side, they call me care-naught, 
or don't care, because I am such a nonchalant loser ; 
and a spendthrift, who cawnt keep money. I guess 
that the American millionaires have got on to my rep- 
utation — as they snub me. They seem to idolize their 
filthy lucre, don't you understand, and are afraid that 
I will blow it in. 
Thebals {noisily) 

These multi-millionaires, and trust magnates, in 
their endeavor to make the prophet Nazarene's con- 
demnation of the rich, as elastic as the Sherman Anti- 
Trust Law, say that "Needle's eye," does not refer to 
a sewing needle, or even a darning needle, but to a 
narrow pass in the mountains of Palestine. To in- 
terpret a law falsely does not evade its penalty ! 
Harrison {approaching) 

Look here, you Trebals, I am no eavesdropper 

Trebals 

Ich versteh sie nicht ! 
Harrison 

What is he saying? Some insult, I imagine. 
Trebals 

Not at all ; I only said : "I don't get you." 
Harrison 

Ah, I see — then I will explain. An eavesdropper, 
is one that with a malicious intent, tries to overhear 
the private talk of others. I didn't try to overhear 
you ; I couldn't help myself : neither could my guests : 
and your bombastic and noisy utterances assailed their 
ears, much to my mortification. What brought you 
here anyhow? What right have you to come unin- 
vited into my house? 
Trebals 

Your house! It don't belong to you any longer: 
and as for an invite — I did receive one from my 
estimable son-in-law, Vincent. 
Harrison 

Your estimable son-in-law, Vincent! He should 
never have been your son-in-law, had you not coerced 
your daughter, Esther, to entice him to elope with 
her. 
Trebals 

Esther should never have been your daughter-in- 
law, had you not coerced your son, Vincent, to en- 
tice her to elope with him. 
Harrison 

You were ambitious ; I was rich as Croesus : you 
determined to ally your family with mine — you suc- 
ceeded : your vaulting ambition did o'erleap the ele- 
vated mark ; yet fell down on the other side, for I 
had become a bankrupt. 
Trebals 

You were a beggar ; I was rich as creosote : you de- 
termined to get a part of my mazuma by marrying 
Vincent to Esther : you suck-seed-ed : your pole vault- 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



71 



ing ambition leaped over the elevated railroad, and 
fell down in the mud gutter, for I had become bank- 
rupted. 
Harrison 

You, a bankrupt! Impossible! 
Trebals 

It is possible — and probable, too, from the condi- 
tion of my pocketbook, which looks as though an 
elephant had stepped on it. 
Harrison 

Why, you were known to be worth many millions. 
I beseech you, sir, say that you are only fooling! 
Trebals 

But I am not fooling; I wish I were: I lost all my 
precious, precious money in United Pacifies. 
Harrison 

United Pacific Railroads ! — lost all your vast for- 
tune in that stock: incredible, sir! 
Trebals 

Why, incredible? I held many millions' worth of 
the stock, which I had bought and paid for. When 
the news that the watermelon had been cut, was 
flashed into my brokers' offices, I was crazy to get a 
slice of it. 

Harrison 
Well, did you do so? 

Trebals 

Yes, I got a slice, a very large slice ; but it was 
all — water, and no — melon. As I was saying, I quick- 
ly ordered them to buy for me at any old price, five 
times as much stock as I then held. This they did ; 
bidding for and taking every share in sight. 
Harrison 

Then it was your buying that gave the stock, after 
the melon was cut, such a big boost. We expected a 
big rise, of course ; but this rise was unprecedented — 
the stock fairly soared. 

Trebals 

Yes, the stock fairly soared; and now I am sore — 
damned sore ! 

Harrison 

Ha, ha! Now all these heavy purchases were not 
paid for in full : you bought them on a margin : how 
much margin did you have up? 

Trebals 

Twenty-five points margin: after putting up my 
last dollar. 

Harrison 

And having paid such an inflated price for your 
holdings, you were ruined by the decline which set in, 
when the United States Supreme Court stigmatized 
■the melon as being rotten? 
Trebals 

Yes, the stock dropped like a punctured kite; and 
I was wiped out of stocks, money, everything! Now 
I am chewing the rag— that did the wiping. 
Harrison 

Ha, ha, ha! 



Trebals 

What are you laughing at? 

Harrison 

Ha, ha, ha, ha! this is too funny for anything! 

Trebals 

Funny — where is the joke? Tell me where the fun 
comes in for a man to be worth twenty-five millions, 
and then go broke? — for I want to laugh, too — haw, 
haw. 

Harrison 

Trebals, the loss of your money was a great catas- 
trophe ; there is nothing funny about that : the funny 
part is that you lost it in United Pacifies. 

Trebals 
Why so? 

Harrison 

Because, I lost all my money in that stock. 

Trebals 

Incredible, sir: do you mean to tell me that your 
lost money went in this way? I didn't know you had 
much at stake in that property. 

Harrison 

You knew that I was a Director, did you not? 

Trebals 

Yes, I knew that, but did not think you owned 
much stock. 

Harrison 

Like yourself, the melon was my undoing. I loaded 
up to the muzzle with the stock in anticipation of its 
cutting; but before I could sell out, the Court's ad- 
verse decision, made the public look at the juicy 
fruit, askance ; the bottom dropped out of the mar- 
ket, and I was cleaned out of stocks, money, every- 
thing ! 

Trebals 
Haw, haw, haw! 

Harrison 

I can't see anything to laugh at, sir. 

Trebals 

Haw, haw, haw, haw ! This is the funniest thing 
that ever was ! 

Harrison 

What, you unfeeling man : funny for a wealthy man 
to become a pauper? 

Trebals 

Harrison, the loss of your monish was a great 
cats-as-trophy ; there is no joke in that : what tickles 
me is that you lost it in United Pacifies. 

Harrison 

Ha, ha, ha! There is no use, Trebals, in trying to 
be at enmity with you : for your good nature, and 
humor, are infectious : they have permeated me from 
head to foot. I think that the best thing we can do, 
is to let bygones, be bygones ; shake hands and be- 
come the best of friends. What do you say? 



72 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



Trebals 

With all my heart, Meester Harrison. {They shake 
hands) Trebals is always willino- to be friendly : he 
is not so bad as he is reputed to be : his bark is worser 
than his bite. 

Harrison 

Trebals, we now enter into cordial relations, which 
I trust will never be interrupted. 

Trebals 

Vincent and Esther are united; and Harrison and 
Trebals will form a leetle union on their own hook, 
to make it pleasant for th^J;iny tots ; that may soon 
reasonably be expected. 

Esther ( blushing ) 

Oh, father, you are looking too far ahead. Mr. 
Harrison, you are very good and kind. This delight- 
ful reconciliation removes the only obstacle to our 
becoming one loving and happy family. 

Harrison 

May God grant that it will prove so. 

Vincent 

Trebals, Esther, father — all is joy! There is but a 
single cloud to mar the general sunshine : heaven help 
her, I am afraid that Maud is unhappy. 

Harrison (aside) 

That fear weighs too, like lead, upon my heart! 

(Enter Ephraim) 
Ephraim 

Massa Harrison, you done told me to promulgate 
the arrival of the Parson. 
Harrison 

Yes, Ephraim, has he come? 
Ephraim 

Yes, sah, he am just arrived. 
Harrison 

Did you conduct him to a place where he could 
make his preparations? 
Ephraim 

Yes, massa, I tuk him to dat spare room, and left 
him thar: he soon came out and said that all the 

specked potatoes 

Harrison 

No, no — spectators, Ephraim. 
Ephraim 

Yes, sah, something like that. They must all as- 
semble in the parlors, because he were gwine to per- 
form the sarahmony. He had a long, thin, black ul- 
ster on. 
Harrison 

A long thin black ulster — that was no ulster he had 
on ; it was a ministerial robe — or surplice, that the 
Clergy wear at all services. (Addressing all) Come, 
my friends, let us go to the parlors. (Exeunt all but 
Ephraim) 
Ephraim 

These wedding services don't amount to nothin' — 
they are too dry. Thank goodness, they only come to 
one person three times in their life. They didn't use 



ter come but once; but that war before the age of 
divorces. (Exit) 



Scene H. — The Parlors of the Harrison Mansion: 
sumptuously furnished, and profusely adorned with 
plants and flowers. 

(Enter Harrison and two Attendants) 
Harrison 

The wedding guests are now about to enter: Dan- 
iel, you go to the bridegroom ; and Martha, you go 
to the bride ; and apprise them of the fact. When I 
ring the bell, the Duke and his best man will enter 
on that side; and Maud and her bridesmaids will en- 
ter on the opposite side. Do you understand? 
Attendants 

Yes, sir, perfectly. (Exeunt an Attendant at each 
side, and Harrison at back) 

(Enter in procession — Clergyman, Harrison, Care- 
naught, Von Schlammer, Addison, Algernon, Trebals, 
Slyfellow, Steel, Goldstone, Cassatt, Vincent, lawyer, 
Esther, Alicia and other wedding guests. They 
spread around the room, leaving a space in the back 
centre, where the officiating Cler gyman takes his stand. 
Harrison rings bell, and the Musicians play a wedding 
march. 

(Re-enter Daniel) 
Daniel 

Master, the bridegroom has not yet arrived. 
Harrison 

The bridegroom not yet here ! That is strange. 
Why did you not return with this intelligence at once ? 
Daniel 

Thinking that he would arrive shortly, I waited as 
long as I dared to; then started to warn you — when 
the bell rang. 
Harrison 

Go instantly, and warn my daughter of the Duke's 
absence. Confusion ! it is too late ; here she comes 
with her bridesmaids. (Maud and her Bridesmaids 
march over to the Clergyman) 
Clergyman (after a wait) 

Where is the bridegroom? 
Harrison 

Reverend sir, and you my kind friends all : I crave 
your lenity : something — I know not what, but which 
I am very sure was unavoidable, has delayed the bride- 
groom. 
Clergyman 

Indeed! Then, the bride and her maids, will please 
be seated until his arrival. (Advancing and speaking 
aside with Harrison) Yonder timepiece shows it al- 
ready ten minutes past the appointed hour : yet lovers, 
like schoolboys, ever move faster than the clock. The 
matter seems serious, and should be at once looked 
into. 
Harrison 

And shall be — but who can I send? (To Lawyer) 
Ah, Counselor, you have been to the Duke's apart- 
ments : you know the street and number ? 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



73 



Lawyer 

Yes, very well. 

Harrison 

Will you kindly make a hasty trip there, and ex- 
press our solicitude for the Duke, in that he may be 
ill? In that way it may luckily be revealed too, how 
soon this strain can be lifted from our guests' pa- 
tience and the ceremony proceed. 

Laxvyer 

With great pleasure: and as the distance is short, 
you will not have long to wait for my return. {Exif) 

Clergyman 

With your approval, I will say a few words to your 
guests of explanation and apology. 

Harrison 

Do so, by all means. 

Clergyman 

Dear friends : Our worthy host regrets exceedingly 
that the felicity of this occasion should be marred 
by the inexplicable absence of the groom. A mes- 
senger has been dispatched for him ; which will no 
doubt ensure his speedy arrival. During the interim, 
our host begs that you cast aside all formality and 
propriety of behaviour and mingle together in pleas- 
ant intercourse. {The Guests group promiscuously: 
some sit down) 

(A group of girls, promenading) 
Edith 

My gracious ! I think that I would surely faint, 
if I were going to be wed, and my dear intended was 
late at the ceremony. 
Rosalie 

You ought to know, Edith, that lukewarm lovers 
are always tardy. 
Dorothy 

Rosalie, you show a spirit of envy. Some girls 
there are, who aim to shine the bright particular star 
of all occasions ; and when a lovelier girl, relegates 
them to play second fiddle, they become like you, 
envious. 
Rosalie 

How dare you say that, Dorothy : I — envious ; why 
I have so many strings to my bow — or rather, beaux 
on a string, that 'tis I who am envied of all. 
Nora 

Maud is beautiful, and sweet; but that is not 
enough to create love : there must be affinity. This is 
not a love match; but what is called a marriage de 
convenance : and has ceased to look attractive to the 
Duke, now that Maud is no longer wealthy. 
Laura 

When the Duke's absence was announced, Maud's 
face became wreathed in smiles ; as though she had 
been given a new lease of life : surely the bridegroom 
is not of her picking. 
Dorothy 

It seems that the Duke is the mother's choice : but 
I guess that the grand title had something to do with 
it. 



Edith 

Oh, that divine love; said to be heaven made; 
should be bartered and bargained for like merchan- 
dise ! {They walk away) 

Sly fellow {to Steel) 

I sincerely hope that no detailed report of this 
wedding will get in the newpapers. 

Steel 

Why so, Slyfellow? 

Slyfellow 

Because I shall be forever disgraced in the esti- 
mation of the Smart Set. 
Steel 

But the young girl has made conquest of, and leads 
a Duke, to the altar. And besides, it is not so long 
since that Harrison was the lion of this very Smart 
Set. 
Slyfellow 

Yes, when he was worth his millions : he lost his 
charm in their eyes, at the same time he lost his 
money. 
Steel 

Well, I don't care a darn, what they think of my 
presence here : nevertheless, I would have staid away 
had it not been for one thing. 
Slyfellow 

What was that one thing? 
Steel 

You know, that on account of my nerves, the Doc- 
tor forbade me to drink, except on extraordinary oc- 
casions ? 
Slyfellow 

Yes, you told me so. 
Steel 

Well, I saw my chance here, to drink booze, and 
escape the Doctor's wrath, by making believe that I 
thought this an extraordinary occasion. 
Slyfellow 

By this bit of strategy, you are able to indulge in 
your favorite propensity, and still seem not to dis- 
obey your physician's command. Well, how have you 
fared so far? 
Steel 

After I had been here some little time, and found 
no cordial forthcoming, I gave Harrison a gentle 
hint that I was pretty thirsty : whereupon, to my con- 
sternation, he tells me, that for various reasons, 
(which reasons he was not himself aware of) it was 
voted by the ladies, to hold this particular function 
"dry." 
Slyfellow 

Egad! What did you say to that? 
Steel 

I didn't say damn ; but I meant it ; and he knew that 
I did. Fully bent upon breaking the silly edict, I was 
just about to bribe Ephraim, to serve me on the quiet, 
when I hit upon another way more in keeping with 
the respect due to my host. I sent Ephraim out on 
an errand to the nearest saloon. This house used to 



74 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



be mostly "wet" ; to-day it is nearly "dry." This in- 
dividual only, having gone for "local option." Have 
a drink, Slyfellow. {Takes a flask from his pocket) 
Slyfelloiv 

No, I thank you. 
Steel 

Well, here's looking at you! {He takes a drink, 
and puts the flask back) 

{Enter Ephraim with a Messenger Boy) 
Ephraim 

Here am a letter for you, sah : the messenger says 
he must delivah it to you in person, sah. 
Harrison 

Very well: — sign for it, Ephraim. {Exit Ephraim 
and Messenger.) The Duke's coat of arms; it must 
be from him : I am afraid something is wrong. 
{Opens and reads inaudibly) So he is going to marry 
another. The miserable cur ; thank God I am rid of 
him ! What shall I do ? The wedding is off ; and 
some fitting excuses, apologies and amends, must be 
made to our guests : ah, I have it, I will let the Clergy- 
man read this letter to them. {To Clergyman) See, 
here is a communication from the Duke ; kindly read 
it aloud. 
Clergyman 

With pleasure. Dear Friends: Mr. Harrison has 
just received this message from the Duke of Swamp- 
lands, and desires that it shall be read to you. {Reads) 
"My Deah Harrison: Although appearances are 
much against me, you cawnt possibly believe my dear 
fellah, that I could bring myself to be enough of a 
cad, to jilt a girl, just because her father had met 
with devilish hard luck, and lost all his cawsh. The 
facts are that I am deuced extravagant, and deuced 
poor ; and have been contracting many debts, on the 
strength of my name and title. My creditors, owing 
to repeated failures of promises to pay them, became 
frightened; and being suspicious as to my real char- 
acter, had me arrested and imprisoned for obtaining 
goods under false and fraudulent pretences. To con- 
tinue to be considered an imposter and pretender, is to 
remain in prison : while to prove that there was no 
deception, but that I am really the Duke of Swamp- 
lands, is to regain my liberty at the expense of my 
honah and reputation ; as the scandal will be noised 
in the newspapers, and soon come to the ears of the 
Peerage. Either alternative, is not to be thought of, 
and another way presenting itself, I am forced to 
embrace it; so as I write, I have just agreed with 
a business man, who made a vawst fortune in "Oleo- 
margarine," to marry his daughter ; in consideration 
of the payment of these debts, and a million dollars to 
come to me with her as a dowry. I hope to retain the 
friendship and esteem of your daughter and your- 
self ; and would say to you both that I remain your 
most obedient servant. Swamplands. P. S. — This note 
is not confidential, and you are at liberty to show it 
to others." 
Harrison 

Dear friends, sweet friends, let not your blame light 
on me. I would rather lose some function of the 



mind, or that part of my body most valued for loco- 
motion, than to have had you so fooled! 

Addison 

We do not think of ourselves, but of you : our dis- 
appointment is nothing to your sorrow. 
Goldstone 

Harrison, our hearts go out to you in your many 
trials. When misfortunes come, they come not as 
single soldiers disguised as spies, but uniformed and 
led, and numerous as a battalion. 
A Matron 

It is a very presumptuous and delicate thing to 
speak to a young girl in the way of consolation, under 
such circumstances; but even at the risk of offending, 
I must say, Maud, do not take it too deeply to heart; 
such things very often turn out for the best. 
Edith 

Maud, dear Maud, all of us girls feel awfully sorry 
for you! {Edith, Rosalie, Dorothy, Nora and Laura, 
cling to Maud, tenderly) 
Maud 

I thank you, one and all, for your sympathy, solici- 
tude, love ! I am deeply wounded ; but not hurt be- 
yond repair. 
Harrison 

Although I am now going to reveal a secret, it is 
a secret that every person here ought to know, on 
account of the distressing culmination of this affair. 
Maud was in no way attached to the Duke : she was 
being sacrificed. 
Clergyman 

Sacrificed ! Pardon me for asking a somewhat im- 
pertinent question : Why did you consent to this great 
wrong? 
Harrison 

{Aside) What can I say? The horror of that 
casket changing, comes o'er my memory, like the pure 
air is contaminated by the smell of a carcass ! Yet 
they all expect an answer. — My wife, as some here are 
already aware of, left a dying behest, that the rival 
claims of the aspirants for Maud's hand, should be 
settled by a casket choosing contest. Four jewels, 
whose cases were inscribed : Wealth, Beauty, Char- 
acter jnd Disposition. Of these jewels, sapphire, 
ruby, diamond, emerald, the diamond, a finger ring, 
was to win the bride. 
Clergyman 

Ah, I see ; and the Duke chose the right casket. 
Harrison 

Yes — No, no ! Heaven help me, I must make con- 
fession I My repentance for past offences seemed sin- 
cere, and I yearned to avow this one, that no evil con- 
sequences might ensue; but a false delicacy of the 
Duke's feelings restrained me. But fate, after taking 
my wealth, has determined that no other bar shall 
stand between me and true manhood; by driving me 
now to confess. I tampered with — I changed the 
caskets. 
Cler gyman 

You changed them? What do you mean? 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



75 



Harrison 

My inordinate ambition craved the highest title : 
I opened the caskets, and when I found that the dia- 
mond ring was not in the Duke's ; I put it there. (The 
Guests give zvay to horrified exclamations and ges- 
tures) 

Maud 

Oh, father, how could you ever do a thing like 
that! 

Clergyman 

Patience, friends ! Have charity ! Let only those 
of you that have never yielded to temptation, condemn 
this man ! 

Trebals 

Harrison, you wanted Maud to marry the Duke, 
because he had a title : but the title don't change the 
man : you can't make a man — a man, by calling him 
a Duke ; what's in a name ? The poet says : "A nose 
by any other name, would smell a smell as well." 
(This speech, zvhich Trebals believes is a successful 
attempt to quote Shakespeare, puts the Guests in good 
humor again) 

Clergyman 

Thank heaven, that your daughter's happiness was 
not permanently jeopardized by your weakness. Cir- 
cumstances arose which caused the Duke's desertion. 
There is a swift current in the affairs of men, that 
bears them ever nearer fortune ; though sometimes 
they fret and struggle in its all-embracing grasp. But 
now, Harrison, a very natural question arises to my 
lips : Who was the real winner ? 

Harrison 

Count Von Schlammer: I found the diamond ring 
in his casket. 

Alicia 

Count Von Schlammer the winner — my Otto ! The 
winner of what? Why, heaven help me, of my dear- 
est friend, Maud Harrison's hand, under the sacred 
and inspired plan of her mother. What sorrow is like 
unto my sorrow ! 
Clergyman 

The lady talks wildly, and is agitated and grief- 
stricken. She seems vitally affected by your dis- 
closure. 
Harrison 

Yes, she is deeply concerned ; she is engaged to be 
married to the Count. Alas, my treachery, is already 
leaving a trail of woe ! 
Clergyman 

What course are you going to pursue under these 
distressing circumstances ? 
Harrison 

I do not know : I dare not disregard my wife's 
wishes : I want to carry them out to the end. 
Clergyman 

But that is impossible ; unless. Count Von Schlam- 
mer should feel in honor bound to fulfill all the con- 
ditions of a contest that he became a party to, and 
marry your daughter. 



Von Schlammer 

Donner and blitzen ! Von Schlammer is engaged to 
his Alicia, and no power on earth can take him away 
from her. I did enter the contest, but was glad when 
the Duke was declared the winner, for I had learned 
to love my sweet Alicia, and at once gained her prom- 
ise to marry me. 

Alicia 

Yes, Otto, I gave you such a promise, but my bet- 
ter judgment told me that it was wrong to do so. 
Just stop and think : you have been fortunate ; you 
won a prize worthy of you, and by an error came near 
losing it, but a lucky chance has made it right : Oh, 
I am so glad ! 

Von Schlammer 

This is folly, Alicia; this revelation has bereft you 
of your senses — you are mad. Why, liebes Fraulein, 
the jesses which bind us together, are my dear heart 
strings ! You ought not desert me, ought she, Miss 
Harrison? 

Maud 

Pardon me, Count, a slight digression before I an- 
swer. When the sad results of my mother's plan, 
were set aside by the Duke's declining, it was like 
a rift of gold in a pall of clouds : then came the start- 
ling denouement that you were the winner. A man 
almost a stranger to me ; and now engaged to Alicia : 
but you chose as my mother wanted him that gained 
me to choose : you are Mother's choice. Count, to 
ask my views of this tangle, were to ask a prostrate 
man, what sort of electricity the lightning bolt con- 
tained, that struck him to the earth ! 

Trebals 

This is a pretty ticklish problem, and it can't be 
solved by the pawnbroker, or the financier, or the 
lover — but by the theologian. Why not leave it to the 
Parson ? He is skilled in yust such matters ; and can 
balance the moral niceties as exactly as drugs are 
weighed by an apothecary. 

Omnes 

Yes, let the Clergyman decide. 

Harrison 

Your Reverence, I am sure that you will oblige. 

Clergytnan , 

It is an unpleasant task, but we ministers must un- 
dertake such things. First, to get the views of the 
different parties in interest. Alicia, what have you 
to say? 

Alicia 

The Count, the Duke, the Marquis, and Leonard 
were all self acknowledged suitors of Maud ; and by 
her mother's letter were expressly mentioned as the 
contestants : the Count chose right ; but being deceived, 
engaged himself to me. I am like a woman that a 
man marries under the false report of his wife's 
death : I must suffer^and I only. 
Clergyman 

Count, from your silence, I infer that you do not 
in any way dispute the truthfulness of this statement? 



76 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



Von Schlammer 
It is absolutely true in every particular. 

Clergyman 

Alicia's ethical view of the case, exactly coincides 
with my own. Miss Harrison, what is your spontan- 
eous conviction : do you see your duty as we seem to 
see it.'' 

Maud 

I cannot solve the puzzle ; yet some solution must 
be found. Some of life's troubles that come to us, 
are crushing in their utter helplessness : I am fitter 
to weep, than to reason! 

Alicia 

Your worship, let me tell you this, for it will save 
time and trouble: I will never — never (I am forced 
to be harsh, to be convincing) wed the Count, unless 
the late Mrs. Harrison, from the grave, gives me 
leave to do so. 

Von Schlammer 

Ach, mein lieber engel ! you won't be so cruel ! you 
will change your mind? 

Alicia 

Never — I swear it! 

Carenaught 

She is like a balky horse, Count, you cawn't move 
her; you had best make the best of a bad mess, and 
take a chaunce with Miss Maud; she is a thorough- 
bred, and will go well for a long distance. 

Von Schlammer 

The devil take it, then let it be so. 
Clergyman 

To be proper and punctilious, the ceremony should 
be postponed until some future time. 
Von Schlammer 

Verdammt! Von Schlammer has got his Dutch 
blood up: the marriage will take place now — or not 
at all ! 
Maud 

Yes, let it take place at once: it is fixed and irre- 
vocable, and the horror of it can only be aggravated 
by delay. 
Clergyman 

What say you, Harrison? 
Harrison 

Proceed with the ceremony, your Reverence. {The 
Clergyman, Bride and Groom, take their stand) 
Clergyman 

Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in 
the sight of God, and in the face of these congregated 
friends, to join together this man and this woman in 

holy matrimony 

{Enter Lawyer) 
Lawyer 

Ah, I perceive that the Duke has arrived! 
Harrison 

No, I just received word from him, which I im- 
parted to the rest, that he has jilted Maud, and is to 
marry another — that is Von_ Schlammer. 



Lawyer 

What in the name of all that's sacred is the meaning 
of this? 

Harrison 

Horrible ! I tampered with the caskets ; opening 
them, I found the diamond ring in Von Schlammer's 
choice, and transferred it to the Duke's. I just con- 
fessed that Von Schlammer was the real winner ; and 
they are being married. Maud is heartbroken : my 
wife's mad scheme has wrecked her life, for she cares 
nothing for Von Schlammer. As a result of my 
treachery, Von Schlammer became attached to and 
engaged to Alicia; and their parting, caused by her 
veneration of my wife's wishes, was pitiful. 

Laxvyer 

Reverend sir, stop this service, I adjure you ! A 
cruel sacrifice, an irreparable wrong, is being done, 
because it is believed to be the commands of the dead : 
but this is an error — for Swamplands was really the 
winner! {Sensation) 

Clergyman 

Nothing but such vital intelligence could justify 
this interruption — but how can you prove it, sir? 

Lawyer 

Listen — and mark me well. Mrs. Harrison longed 
to have Maud the wife of Leonard Cassatt. She felt 
sure that they loved each other ; and that Leonard 
was worthy of her; this was the constant burden of 
her talk to me. Grown frantic over her inability to 
overcome her husband's stern opposition ; the casket 
choosing plan was born of her desperation. Her last 
words to me, were, "Try to help the lovers ; even if 
you have to resort to artifice." After the choosing, 
as I drew the draperies, the guests having repaired 
to the dining room, an irresistible impulse came over 
me to open the caskets. Slipping behind the curtains, 
I did so ; and found the diamond ring in "Wealth," 
the Duke's choice ; and an emerald charm in "Beau- 
ty," Leonard's choice. Hastily transposing them, 
without volition on my part as it seemed, I joined 
the guests at luncheon. When I opened the caskets to 
decide the contest, and saw the ring again in the 
Duke's, I was startled, — and sorry too : but determin- 
ing to tamper no more with what seemed the doings 
of fate, announced the result. Amazed to see Von 
Schlammer as bridegroom, I asked Harrison what it 
meant ; he just told me of his confession ; and the 
whole mystery was explained. 

Clergyman 

Thank God that you came in time ! 

Omnes 
Amen, to that ! 

Harrison 

But you say that you put the diamond ring in 
Leonard's casket; I found it in Von Schlammer's. 

Lawyer 

Well, you think you did, but I am quite sure you 
were mistaken about that. Well, Mrs. Harrison's 
plan of selecting a husband for her daughter, having 



FINANCIER OF NEW YORK 



17 



failed of success, we will have to return to the old — 
yet ever new — method of Cupid. 

Harrison 

Counselor, what is that? 

Lawyer 

Love, my dear fellow, love! 

Cassatt 

On that particular question, I beg to have a hear- 
ing, for I do protest that I love her better than my 
life. And too, according to this Counselor's tale, in 
my somewhat presumptuous contention for her peer- 
less self, the mother gave her gracious approbation. 

Harrison 

What have you to say, Maud? Has this young 
scapegrace ever talked to you of love? 

Maud 
Yes, dear father. 

Harrison 
And what did yo% say? 

Maud 

I told him that the only thing that kept my love for 
him within bounds, was the fear of your displeasure. 

Harrison 

Well, love each other, my children. {They em- 
brace) and revel in your love. Good blows are bet- 
ter than bad caresses : fortune only gave me some 
harsh, but loving strokes, that I might have the rich 
compensation of this hour. 

Alicia 

Otto ? {no answer) What, is your Dutch blood still 
up? Otto— Dear Otto! 

Von Schlammer 

Ach, there is no use to try to withstand you. {They 
embrace) . You are a sweet girl ! A noble woman ! — 
and now as we plight our troth anew, I am prouder 
of you than ever ! 

Omnes 

Bravo! Bravo! two pair of lovers reunited! 



Lawyer 

The last scene of all and ending, of this strange 
romantic story, is a sealed packet, also given to me 
by the lamented Mrs. Harrison, to be opened at my 
discretion either before or after Maud's nuptials. I 
will break the seal and read its contents. {Reads) 
My Good Friend : You will find enclosed, various 
securities, to the total amount of about five hundred 
thousand dollars : being money that I have saved from 
my husband's munificent allowances for household ex- 
penses, personal requirements of the family, and pin 
money. These securities are all made out in Maud's 
name ; and I leave them to her with my blessing. 
Signed &c. 
Maud 

Is not that just glorious of dear mother! Just like 
her: such thoughtfulness, self-sacrifice, care! 
Lazvyer 

Maud, I congratulate you. Your devoted mother 
was generous : a half million is not to be sneezed at. 
Harrison, that was one of your wife's whims; you 
know she was full of them. 
Harrison 

Heaven forgive me those idle words ; she was a 
trulv noble woman ! Well, Maud, you won't be so 
badly off after all: you will have something with 
which to start housekeeping. 
Maud 

Yes — and fortune has been so gracious to me, that 
I too must be eenerous. First, I p-ive to you, papa, 
and to Mr. Trebals the sum of fiftv thousand dol- 
lars each ; and to the Count and Alicia, jointlv, one 
hundred thousand dollars ; and to Vincent and Esther, 
jointly, one hundred thousand dollars. Now don't 
throw up your hands, all of you, in deprecation, mean- 
iner that you won't take it, for you can't help your- 
selves : I am groins to out it in the bank to vour cred- 
it, and that ends it. {They gather around Maud, and 
she goes from one to another to receive their con- 
gratulations and thanks) 

CvVLTAllfl. 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



OR THE REBELLION 



DRAMATIS PERSONS. 



Abraham Lincoln President of United States 

Thomas (Tad) His Son 

Jefferson Davis. . .President of Confederate States 

Alexander H. Stephens Vice-Pres. 

Stephen A. Douglas, Charles Sumner 

U. S. Senators 

James Buchanan former President 

William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edwin M. 

Stanton Members of Lincoln's Cabinet 

U. S. Grant, W. T. Sherman, Philip H. Sheridan, 
George G. Meade, W. S. Hancock, Winfield 
Scott Generals of Union Army 



JuDAH P. Benjamin, Howell Cobb, Robert 

Toombs Confederate Statesmen 

Robert E. Lee (Stonewall) Jackson, John B. 
Gordon, A. P. Hill, James Longstreet 

Generals of Confederate Army 

John Wilkes Booth An Actor 

Mr. Kenton A friend to Davis 

Clerg-yman, Herald, Soothsayer, Two Grave-diggers, 
Two Gate-keepers, Fool, Pompey (colored ser- 
vant). 
Mrs. Lincoln, Mrs. Davis, Auntie (coloredj. 



ACT I 



Scene I. — Washington, D. C. A street. Inaugura- 
tion day; people passing to and fro; enter a 
throng of negroes, who stand and shout while 
waiting for the parade; enter two Southern Sen- 
ators, who harangue the negroes. 

First Senator. 
How ! now, you base-born and unworthy 
Men; why stand you in idleness upon 
The street, without the overalls and tools 
Which show your occupations? 

Negroes. 
Why, sir, to see Marsa Lincoln. 
First Senator. 
What business have such as you with Mr. 
Lincoln. 

Negroes. 
This is Inauguration day and we want to shout 
when Marsa Lincoln and the procession pass by. 

Second Senator. 
Shout ! Men do shout when calamity comes, 
But not for joy. But why should I bandy 
Words ; you are incapable of sense or 
Judgment: where are you employed? 
First Negro. 
Why, sir, we all believe that Marsa Lincoln will 
;iet us all free, and we are employed in shouting for 
him. 

Second Senator. 
I want none of your insolence ; I asked 
You a plain question. You, sir, what trade 
Are you? (to second negro) 

Second Negro. 
In the matter of trade, Sir, I shall answer cate- 
gorically that I have none; I simply gather up the 
snow flakes which fall in the South in the summer 
time. 

Second Senator. 
But, you saucy knave, what trade? Give me 
A direct answer. 



Second Negro. 
Why, sir, I help to provide clean and unclean 
people with a white outside ; to wit : cotton shirts 
and collars. 

First Senator. 
Ah, I see; thou art a picker of cotton. 

Second Negro. 
Just so; I do not bother with statesmen's matters 
nor parson's matters, but just with the white pure 
cotton. I am indeed, sir, a worker on a cotton 
plantation. 

First Senator. 
But, wherefore art not in the fields to-day? 
Why dost thou and thy companions stand 
Idly on the streets? 

First Negro. 
Why, we have a day off to see Marsa Lincoln, 
and to rejoice at his election as our next President. 

First Senator. 
Wherefore rejoice? does his election 
Mean advancement in the cause of liberty? 
What triumph or what tribute follow him 
As the proud array marches to the Capitol. 
How many times have such as you stood here 
And shouted for the Presidents of old, 
Until your cries have rufifled the Potomac 
Far away? Men who have made you what 
You are ; and ever have been thoughtful 
Of your welfare. Have you forgotten 
Tackson? why, you have stood for hours 
Upon the streets, your children in your 
Arms, and when the pageant came in view, 
Have you not raised a general shout. 
That wayfarers have paused to listen 
To the replication of the sounds, made 
By the vibrant air? And do you now 
Take off a holiday? and do you now 
Humbly prostrate yourselves before him 
Who comes in triumph o'er the glorious 
Dead? Be gone! — run to your houses; fall 



78 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



79 



Upon your knees, pray to God to mitigate 
The wrath, that needs must follow such 
Ingratitude. 

Second Senator, 
Colored men, if you are sincere and 
Desire those rights which only go with 
Reason, gather together all the people 
Of your race to the base of that marble 
Pile, from whence Washington looks smiling 
Down upon our lawful institutions, and 
Those practices which have made this country 
Great; and lifting your eyes to Heaven 
Implore pardon for this present fault. 
Do this eagerly, and although you are 
Poor and unknown, you'll find yourselves 
Exalted. 

(Exeunt negroes in a crestfallen manner.) 

First Senator. 
See, unless their basest nature is moved 
They have no understanding or no wit. 
Go you, that way towards the Capitol, 
Disrobe the monuments which are decked 
In honor of the agitator ; let no statue 
Either of man or beast remain ornamented: 
I will do the same through these streets. We owe 
It to ourselves as Southern Senators. 

(Tears off the decorations from statue on the stage.) 
(Exeunt.) 



Scene II. — Whole stage. Washington. Avenue, 
leading to the Capitol. 

(Crowds of people line the street on either side, wait- 
ing for the procession to pass- There are soldier 
police in different places, and as parts of the 
crowd are disorderly, they are cautioned, some 
are ordered away and some arrested and 
taken off. Much loud talking, shouting and 
cheering are indulged in as follows) : 

"Hurrah for our next President." 
"The Union must be preserved." 
"Down with the nigger worshipper." 

(Soldiers order this man away.) 
"Shoot the abolitionist" 

(This man is arrested and taken off.') 
"Lincoln will govern the whole country honestly 

and well." 
"Who will set fire to some of the black Republican's 

houses?" 
"Three cheers for Abraham Lincoln : hurrah ; 

hurrah ! hurrah ! tiger." 
"Let's turn the country over to the niggers." 
(General cries now of "Here they come," "Here 

comes the parade.") 
(A platoon of soldiers come upon the stage and push 
back the spectators on either side, to make way 
for the parade.) 
(Conspirators, who are sitting and standing around a 
table, at one side; one of them fills glasses and 
they all drink.) 



First Conspirator. 
Here's to our enterprise. 

Conspirators. 
We drink deeply to that. 

Second Conspirator. 
Must Lincoln then die to-day? 

First Conspirator. 
No, not TO-DAY; but remember: when 
Lincoln's life stands in the way of our 
Cause ; that day brings Lincoln's death. 

Second Conspirator. 
Fill up ; fill up, and drink again 
To what's already sworn. 

(They all. drink.) 

(Enter the Procession, with music : Lincoln, Bu- 
chanan, Douglas, Sumner, Seward, Chase, 
and others, in carriages, surrounded by soldiers: 
great cheering, waving of flags, hands, etc.) 

Lincoln (rising and bowing) : 
Friends ! 

Sumner. 
Bid every noise be still ; peace : 
The President is about to address you. 

Lincoln. 
My countrymen ! your general applause 
Is sweeter than the music in my ears; 
If all our citizens remain as true. 
The Union never will be split in two. 

(Unbounded enthusiasm.) 

Buchanan. 
When one has occupied the most exalted 
Position in the gift of his countrymen, 
The pinnacle of his ambition is reached, 
When he turns his mighty sceptre over 
To such a man as Abraham Lincoln. 

Lincoln. 
Buchanan has been severely criticised; 
But it seems to be the misfortune of 
The great to be misunderstood : now with 
Your consent, we'll make our way towards 
The Capitol. 

Douglas. 
Countrymen, kindly stand on either 
Side and let the Presidential party pass. 

A Voice. 
Abraham Lincoln! Abraham Lincoln! 

Lincoln. 
Who is that so shrilly calls upon my name? 
(A man presses forward holding a paper in air.) 
Soothsayer. 
I am a soothsayer, and possess the power of divin- 
ation; I and my fellows conjure the wandering 
stars and make them tell their secrets ; we have cast 
the President's horoscope, and find it full of danger; 
listen: take heed, and you may avoid these perils. 

Lincoln. * 

What can be avoided, whose end is purpos'd 
By the highest power ? No ; Lincoln will 



8o 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



Not read the future; content to use the 
Present to the best advantage; the 
Future will take care of itself. 

Soothsayer. 
Look to your own life! Oh do not turn away; 
your own safety ; a conspiracy, yea, treason against 
the government, a plot against your life. 

Lincoln. 
Where learned you this dark secret? this 
Seems but the vagary of a distempered 
Mind : we cannot notice rumors ; the air 
Is full of them; pass on. 

Soothsayer. 
Mr. President, Oh, pray you! read this paper; it 
contains the details and many of the names; if the 
rebel hosts are not successful, you are to be assas- 
sinated; read it, Mr. President. 

First Conspirator. 
That fool must be silenced; perdition! 
It means the gallows for us. 

Conspirators (rushing forward). 
Lock him up ; don't let him interfere with the 
procession ; the man is crazy, tear him away. 

(They force him off the stage. Music; and the parade 
passes on.) 

Stephens. 
Will you go see the order of the exercises? 

Davis. 
No, no, not I. 

Stephens. 
I pray you go ; you'll see a richly 
Gilded picture. 

Davis. 
I am not fulsome ; I do lack some part 
Of that quick spirit of flattery which 
Douglas possesses : like the whipped dog 
That laps its cruel master's hand. 

Stephens. 
Davis. I have observed you much of late 
That you are gfreatly changed ; and have 
Puzzled myself to find the wherefore. 
You used to confide in me and tell 
Me of your plans of new statutes and 
Measures, to be perfected for the 
General good. 

Davis. 
Stephens, be not deceived; even if I 
Have held close my bosom's secrets ; and 
Only talk to men of airy nothings : 
Worried I am of late with passions of 
Some force ; conceptions onlv affecting 
Mvself : and therefore let not my good 
Friends be grieved, you amonest the number. 
But think poor Davis with himself at war 
Forgets to show his love to other men. 

Stephens. 
Then I have much mistook your actions : 
This silence which your fritnds thought 
Anger ; was but distress over your country's 
Wrongs ? 



Davis. 
Alas, just so : listen to the mad 
Shouting; I do fear the people choose 
Lincoln for their idol. 

Stephens. 
Aye, do you fear it? Then must you join 
With those who will fight against it. 
What think you the result of this man's 
Elevation? 

Davis. 
I scarcely know myself: a dim foreboding 
Of some great calamity to our country 
To come from this day's hollow show. 
We seem to have fallen upon evil times : 
The compact made by our forefathers 
Wherein they formed the Union of the 
States, under the Constitution ; which 
Enumerates established institutions. 
And the methods by which they shall be 
Maintained ; is now violated by those 
States, who having no further use for 
The slaves, claim that their ideas bind us 
Together, and not the original contract. 

Stephens. 
Why, this man is a colossus ; and with 
His band of worshippers doth ruthlessly 
Tread down our laws and liberties. I have 
Longed to tell you of our plans, but your 
Austerity and well known integrity. 
Have swayed me from the purpose : would I 
Could hold a mirror up to your eyes 
Wherein your glory might be reflected ; 
That you might know how great your power 
And what the people think of you, and 
What they expect of you in this crisis: 
Would you could behold yourself. 

Davis. 
No, Stephens, there is great danger in that 
Thought; to make myself the centre of my 
Desires ; and have those spots of selfishness 
And pride yet in my soul, add greatly to 
Themselves, and become the nucleus of a 
Range of hills of monumental error. 
Pause, there, my friend, before you ask 
A man who has lost himself in others' 
Woes, to seek to fan the selfish fires 
Which still flicker in his breast. 

Stephens. 
I only seek to modestly discover to 
Yourself, that part of you which is your 
Country's; to arouse you against her foes, 
To help to avenge her wrongs. 

Davis. 
My beloved country ! If thou plead'st for 
Her ; thou receiv'st thy full petition 
At the hands of Davis. {Exeunt) 



Scene III. — Washington. A Public Place, near 

Capitol. 
Enter General Scott and staff, marching across 

stage, when they are met by an Orderly, who 

salutes. 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



8i 



Scott. 
Have all my instructions given in the general or- 
der, relative to the preservation of peace at the 
Inaugural ceremonies been carried out? 

Orderly. 
Yes, General Scott, they have. 

Scott. 
What has been done? 

Orderly. 
Squads of riflemen have been stationed in each 
wing of the Capitol; underneath the platform erec- 
ted on the steps are a full company; and two bat- 
teries of flying artillery in the streets ; besides, the 
regiment you just sent for are in the next street 
awaiting further orders. 

(Scott unrolls a map and with his staff consult over 
it.) 

Scott (to Orderly.) 
Very well; let this regiment be distributed in 
squads around through the crowds gathered near 
the President. 

Orderly. 
Yes, General. (Orderly salutes and retires.) 

Scott. 
I have no precedent to guide me here 
And shall no doubt be criticised severely: 
The talk is something more than idle threats; 
I think that peace can only be preserved 
By the strong arm of the military. (Exeunt Scott 
and staff.) 



Scene IV. — Whole stage. Washington. The Capi- 
tol. 

(In the background are seen the building and ap- 
proaches; on the stage is a platform erected for 
the Inaugural ceremonies ; some spectators on 
stage, and more coming all the time; some Sen- 
ators and Congressmen of the States which se- 
ceded, in a group at one side talking in low tones. 
Soldier police are seen in the background, and 
on the stage.) 

First Senator (who favors secession.) 
So be it; to-night then at the same place. 

Second Senator. 
Yes, to-night; here is the notice. (Reading.) All 
^ members of the Southern Confederacy are hereby 

notified to attend a meeting at the usual place at 12 
o'clock sharp, when final action will be taken regard- 
ing secession from the union of States, following 
the example set by South Carolina. If secession 
should be determined upon, the members of the or- 
ganization will at once leave Washington for their 
respective States. Your lives may depend upon 
your secrecy. ('SignedJ Sturtevant, Secretary. 

Music is heard and shouts. 

Toombs. 
Hark! listen to the splashing of the stream 
Which bears the black-republican to power. 



Mason. 
Why should we submit to practices revolting? 
Our friends in Washington greatly outnumber 
Theirs, and the surrounding land is all 
Southern in sentiment: sedition, riot; 
Insurrection : be our weapons ; to seize 
Washington and hold it as (which it isj. 
Confederate territory. 

First Senator. 
It is a desperate chance and 
Full of danger ; it may cost us our lives. 

Toombs. 
Then let us die ! for he who cuts from 
Me many years of life, frees me from 
Many cares and miseries. 

Second Senator, 
Away then, to proclaim 

It about the streets; we'll soon have the soldiers 
And the populace with us. 

(Many start to move away.) 
First Senator. 
Are you mad? it must not be; it will 
Ruin our cause, and we may lose all 
Bv giving way to passion ; and Davis, 
Who is now about to join us, will leave 
Us. 
(Sounds of drums and fife are heard, and a squad of 
riflemen march upon the stage; the seceders 
place themselves in a threatening attitude as if ex- 
pecting arrest.) 

First Senator. 
Do they mean to arrest us? 

Toombs. 
Stand close together; we will resist 
This outrage to the death. 
(The soldiers, who have been marching directly to- 
zvayds them, now deploy and line up at one side 
of the stage; more people gather and then the 
procession marches on the stage, headed by the 
Supreme Court, in cap and gown; some Sena- 
tors, some Congressmen; Embassies from For- 
eign nations, richly dressed. All ascend the plat- 
form and take seats, with the Justices of the Su- 
preme Court at one side of the seats reserved for 
the President and his party. Then enter Lin- 
coln and Buchanan, walking together, followed 
at a short distance by Seward, Chase, Douglas, 
Sumner, Mrs. Lincoln and her two sons, and 
a few others, some of them ladies.) 
(Great cheering, mingled with some hisses.) 
(Crowd: three cheers for Abraham Lincoln, our 
new President: hip, hip, hurrah, hurrah, hurrah; 
tiger. The President bows profusely, as he 
with the others ascend the platform and take their 
seats; the cheering continues and Lincoln arises 
and steps to the front of the platform, followed 
by Senator Baker.) 

Senator Baker. 
Fellow citizens : I take great pleasure in introduc- 
ing to you our newly-elected Chief Magistrate, 
Abraham Lincoln. 



82 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



(Great cheering.) 
(The President has a silk hat in his hand and is per- 
plexed what to do with it. Douglas arises and 
takes it away.) 

Lincoln. 
That "little giant," Stephen A. Douglas, 
Is holding my hat. His defeat by me for 
The Presidency, has not made him sore. 

{Laughter') 

My friends and fellow countrymen : 
Actual dangers which surround us, are not 
So dreadful, as horrible imaginings. 
To quiet fears, create hope, and guarantee 
To the States, irrespective of geographical 
Position, their proper place in the 
Terrestrial system defined by the 
Stars and stripes : rigid respect for 
Property rights, whether private, state, 
Or national : the absolute freedom of 
Speech in advocacy of any doctrine : 
To change or modify our institutions 
By lawful methods, but strict enforcement 
Of laws until so modified; that the 
Union must and shall be maintained : 
These are the doctrines we are here to 
Enunciate ; as being not our beliefs 
Alone, but dear to every patriot in 
Whatever land. Fellow citizens, would 
That with some happy inspiration of 
Diction, I could cull choice words ; words 
That burst from a heart filled with love 
For you and yours ; to properly thank you 
For this magnificent reception. 

(Great cheering as Lincoln sits down.) 

Chief Justice Taney, of the United States Supreme 
Court arises. 

Taney. 
The Supreme Court of these United States through 
me their Chief Justice, will now administer to the 
President the oath of office prescribed by the Con- 
stitution, and sanctioned by the immemorial usage 
of nations: Abraham Lincoln. 

Lincoln (having risen). 
The Honorable Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice of 
the Supreme Court. 

Taney. 
You solemnly swear that you will faithfully exe- 
cute the duties of the office of President of the 
United States, and will to the best of your ability, 
preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the 
United States, so help you God? 

Lincoln (kissing Bible). 
I do so swear. 



Taney. 
Then having complied with the law you are le- 
gally and duly installed as President of these United 
States. 

Douglas (having risen). 
Now let us give three hearty cheers for the Presi- 
dent : hip, hip, hurrah, hurrah, hurrah. 

Lincoln. 
I am touched by your kindness. 

Buchanan (having risen). 
Abraham Lincoln, as you have been duly 
Elected and installed as Chief Executive, 
It becomes my duty as the last incumbent 
To give into your hands the badge of office. 
I cannot give you a be- jewelled crown 
Or golden sceptre, the baubles which show 
The pride of temporal power and the 
Attributes of pomp, pride and majesty. 
Your rule is above such sceptred sway; it 
Is enthroned in your heart, which beats 
In unison with the best traditions 
Of a free and enlightened people. 

(Hands Lincoln gold bound baton.) 

Lincoln (taking baton). 
While it is true that my head is not to 
Be adorned with the round and top of 
Sovereignty : a crown ; yet this emblem 
Represents much loftier power, a government 
Of the people, for the people, and by 
The people. Under such a reign we must 
All work in harmony ; and if there be 
Any here in whom passion has strained 
The chords of affection, I say to them 
That we are not enemies but friends. 
Lovers of a common country. Memory 
Stretches its mystic chords from the 
Battlefields and the graves of the struggle 
For our independence, to the living 
Hearts at the hearthstone to-day; and the 
Mighty impulse of National perpetuity 
Strikes a chord of melody in every 
Breast, when evoked by the better angel 
Of our nature. In the words of that 
Colossus of eloquence, our own immortal 
Webster: The Union now and forever, 
One and inseparable. 
(Great enthusiasm, and the band plays a few strains 
of the "Star Spanqled Banner," after which it 
plays a classic "March," and the procession 
marches from the platform and off the staqe : 
headed by the judges of the Supreme Court; then 
Lincoln and his party, and Seward, Buchanan, 
Chase, Sumner, Douglas; theii members of 
Foreign Embassies, then the U . S. Senators and 
Congressmen.) 

(Curtain.) 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



83 



ACT II 



Scene I. — Whole stage. Washington. Garden and 

rear of house of Senator Davis' home. 

Pompey, a colored servant, sitting on porch. 
Pompey (rising and yawning.) 

I specs there must be something of extraordinary 
cussedness goin' on, for Marsa Davis to keep me 
out of bed so late. I guess I'll try to woo Mr. 
Morpheus in the hall on the servants' bench. 
(Goes in house : enter Davis.^ 

Davis. 
Hello, Pompey, where are you? (takes out his 

watch) 
I cannot see the time, or by my agitated 
Thought make guess of it ; but even to split 
In two the heavy interim of waiting 
Should bring them here (Pompey snores) ; ah ! fast 

asleep. 
Were it my fault to sleep so, I would 
Not seek to amend it : fire ! fire ! wake ! 
Pompey (coming out). 

Marsa, did you call? 

Davis. 
Did I call ; no, I shrieked. 
Where have you been? 

Pompey. 

Me, Marsa? 

Davis. 
Never mind, don't proceed with the attempt 
To excuse, it may lead you into falsehood. 
I know that thou hast been asleep, and see 
Thy tell-tale eyes are proofs against thee. 
Put a little more fire in the grate, the air 
Is chilly; when it is lighted, get to bed. 
(Exit Pompey; Davis walks to front of stage.) 
It means our country's death, there's the rub. 
For I can find no personal fault in him ; 
Self made and rugged in integrity. 
He is a striking figure, this modern Brutus, 
And means no doubt to govern wisely. Power 
Is an intoxicant and taken in copious draughts. 
Makes men drunken with ambition : surrounded 
As he is with evil counsellors hungry 
For the spoils and perquisites of office ; 
May climb to the clouds on the ladder of 
Success, and then look down with scorn upon 
The humble instruments by which the ascent 
Was made : besides he represents that fanatic 
Element, who are sworn on moral grounds 
To disrupt the Constitution on the slavery 
Question ; without the formality of amendment, 
But simply their own fancies. Oh, my country! 
You have indeed fallen upon evil times : 
Would that some prophet could set thee right 
Without a bloody and a cruel fight. 
(Enter Pompey.) 
Pompey. 

Marsa Davis, the fire is goin' ; stooping down to 
light it I found this paper lyin' in the grate, and it 
looked like a sort o' promiscuous place for such a 
large envelope, 



Davis. 

Give it me ; get to thy 

Honest bed ; but stay, provide our friends with some 

Simple nourishment, some cold meat and wine. 

Pompey. 
Yes, sah. 

Davis. 
Stephens gave me this paper and after 
Reading it I threw it in the grate, but 
It comes back to me ; it contains the 
Seceders' plot ; I am entreated to 
Preserve the sovereignty of my own State. 
For my own State ; why my ancestors 
Fought for our independence against 
George the third, when he was called a King. 
Heavy imposts laid upon us to be used 
For benefits abroad, not here, brought on 
The war for colonial independence: 
And now the common land not yet welded 
Into states, but known as territory, 
The equal property of all the States, 
Can only be populated according to 
Northern sentiment : my loved country 
If thou are wronged, these worthy men 
Shall receive what aid that Davis substance, 
Yea, even life can give them. 

(Enter Mrs. Davis, from house.) 

Mrs. Davis. 
Oh, here you are. 
What mean you Jefiferson 
To keep away from bed so long, wandering 
About the grounds? Your absence frightened 
Me and I arrayed myself to look for you. 

Davis. 
Why, what a shame it is that you should 
Be so disquieted; kept from your sleep 
And driven into the midnight air to 
Look for me ; greatly to blame am I for 
Not confiding in you ; I am expecting 
Some friends. 

Mrs. Davis. 
Friends ! at 12 o'clock at night, I 
Charge you look sharp, for such friends may prove 
Your bitter enemies. 

Davis. 
No, they are staunch and true. 

And come at this late hour upon important matters 
Of the State. 

Mrs. Davis. 
From what I read and what I hear 
And what you j^ourself give out by inference, there's 
Murder in men's smiles. Come, you must retire 
At once with me, and Pompey shall be left 
To tell them so. 

Davis. 
Oh, good Lord, render me 

Worthy of this, noble wife! Now, dear wife, leave 
Me awhile. Go in, and by and by I promise that all 
My affairs and policies shall be tuned 
To your approving voice, or die for want 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



Of action. (Exit Mrs. Davis into house.) 
O, woman, thou art so noble, that 
Everything thou touch'st is refined 
By contact with thy wondrous charm. 

(Enter Pompey, from house.) 

POMPEY. 

Sah, the festivities are all prepared. 

Davis. 
That's good. Some one knocks, see who it is, 
The side gate, the noise comes from there. 

(Exit Pompey.) 

Since Stephens first whet me against Lincoln, 
I am ill at ease : to be in doubt in a 
Great crisis, means bitter conflict between 
The spirit and its meaner instruments. 
With no cessation of hostilities 
Until the problem's solved ; the breast 
Then like some petty province, inaugurates 
A local insurrection. 

(Enter Pompey.) 

Pompey (presenting card.) 
Gemmen to see you sah ; sent in his card. 

Davis. 
Stephens at last; there are others with him? 

Pompey. 
Several individuals, sah, but they look like 
spectres, ghosts, or hobgoblins; I am so scart that 
I must look white in the face ; their eyes are as black 
as coal, and their cloaks pulled around their faces. 

Davis. 

Bid them come in. (Exit Pompey.) 

The conspirators, and evidently disguised: 

They hide their faces from the light ; 

Black thoughts must ever breed suspicion : 

Plots, counterplots, stratagems and treasons 

That fear to use the day, but under 

Cover of the darkness seek to pursue 

Their slimy way unmolested. If such 

Care is necessary in the hatching, 

In the sub?enuent steos not Erebus 

Itself can hide them from detection. 
(Enter the conspirators slowly and mysteriously, 
with black cowls covering their eyes, and their 
spring over-cloaks pulled up around their faces : 
Stephens, Hunter, Toombs, Cobb, Benjamin, 
Breckinridge and Slidell; Lee, Jackson 
and Magruder in military undress.) 
Stephens (taking off cowl). 

Good evening, Davis; do we trouble you? 

I hope we're not intruders on your rest? 
Davis. 

No, no, you are alwavs welcome here; 

Know I all your friends you bring along 

With you? 

Stephens. 

Yes, every one of them ; and no man here 

But honors vou, and every one doth wish 

You had a knowledge of the love 

That every southern patriot holds you in: 



This is Toombs. (Toombs advances, taking off 
mask and shakes hands. As the other names are 
called they also take off masks one by one.) 

Davis. 
Toombs, you are very welcome. 

Stephens. 
And this Breckinridge. 

Davis. 
He is welcome, too. 

Stephens. 
Here is a soldier from Virginia. 

Davis. 
Ah, Lee ! I am delighted to see you. 

Stephens. 
These, Cobb, Benjamin, Jackson and others. 

Davis. 
More than welcome, gentlemen, one and all. 
What watchful cares sit heavy on your minds 
That you would disclose to me? 

Stephens. 
May I entreat a word with you? 

(Walks aside with Davis.) 

Toombs. 

Here lies the South, doth not the moon rise here? 

Jackson. 
No ; I will point my sword to where the 
Moon is soaring; but 'tis obscured by 
Yon dark clouds, the threateners of rain. 
(Davis and Stephens conferring at one side.) 

Stephens. 
We have just held our secret meeting, and 
Having settled our plans came at once here. 
Finding ourselves close watched by Government 
Detectives; donned masks to convey the idea 
That we were a party of revellers 
Going to a masquerade. 

Davis. 
Ah, that explains matters; your appearance 
Was so strange that I wondered at it. 

Stephens. 
Washington is no longer a safe place 
For us, and we leave to-morrow for our 
Respective States. The secession of 
South Carolina has fired every 
Southern heart; and most of the States 
Are now perfecting plans to secede, and 
To form a union, to be called the 
Confederate States. We have already 
Aroused a strong sentiment for our cause 
Here in Washington, and emissaries will 
Be left here to continue the work. 

Davis. 
Every patriot must stand by his country 
And his State in this crisis. I shall start 
For Mississippi in a few days; had I known 
Sooner of your plans I could have left 
To-morrow. 

Stephens. 
Now you deserve the thanks of every 
Loyal man. (They walk over and join the rest.) 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



8S 



Davis. 
Give me your hands again one by one. 

Slidell. 
And let us swear a solemn oath, to bind 
Us to our undertaking. 

Davis. 
What need have such as we of oaths; 
Our plighted word's enough; if honor 
And our country's wrongs are all too weak, 
Ihen stop we vaunting and let's home to bed, 
And give high placed tyranny full scope: 
Let every southern patriot be proscribed, 
And where the axe falls next depend on lottery. 
But if our cause (as 1 am sure it does) 
Bears fire enough to kindle courage in 
The hearts of cowards; what should it do 
With us who are reputed brave. 

Benjamin. 
Has anything been done to secure the aid 
Of Horace Greeley? He runs the largest 
Newspaper in the North; and while a strong 
Republican believes in strict adherence 
To the Constitution. I think he will 
Present our side of the case very clearly 
To the Northern people. 

Hunter. 
Oh ! let us have him ! for his whitened hair 
Gives sacredness to his opinions; if we 
Can say his judgment ruled our plans. 
Our deeds will stand commended in the 
Eyes of men. 

Cobb. 
No, leave him out ; for he is in the 
Enemy's country, and can prove but at the 
Best a lukewarm friend. 

Toombs. 
But how about Washington? Shall no blow 
Be struck here for liberty? I think we 
Should seize the Capital, and let those fall 
Who seek to oppose our way. 

Stephens. 
Toombs, well urged ; I think we have great 
Power here, besides the city more than 
Half belongs to us : we will arm our friends 
And set them on, and let Tyranny, 
The Capital and Lincoln fall together. 

Davis. 
That course will seem too bloody, Stephens; 
For if we assail the seat of government, 
We will bring down upon us innumerable 
Foes. We all stand up against the spirit 
Of wrong ; and the spirit is not of blood ; 
Then relief should come without the shedding 
Of blood; but blood must flow, and copiously 
I fear. Let all our part in this national 
Tragedy be for justice, not vengeance; 
When we take life, let it not be as butchers, 
But as sacrifices on the altars of our 
Country. 

(Enter Pompey from house.) 



POMPEY. 

Marsa Davis, dear Marsa, quick, hide these 
Gemmen : from the window of my room I saw 
soldiers march up the street and stop at your gate; 
listen, that's them now. (Sounds of knocking.) 

Davis. 
Let them come, we are not malefactors. 
Go and open the gate. 

Slidell. 
Perdition ! no, don't go yet ; they will 
Arrest us and we may lie in Fort Lafayette 
For years: rebellion, even treason against 
The Government, their charge; the proofs 
These masks and the damning papers we have 
About us. We must conceal ourselves. 

Davis. 
Better to go in the house and leave by 
The front door. 

Slidell. 
No, they have left guards there; here, quick. 
Hide behind this tent. Now be silent for 
Your lives. 

(Knocking renewed, and Pompey at sign from Davis 
goes and comes back with a detachment of 
soldiers.) 

Captain. 
Senator Davis? 

Davis. 
At your service. Gentlemen. It must be 
Urgent business that has brought you here 
When the night's so far advanced. 

Captain. 
Gen. Scott, at military headquarters, was in- 
formed that a party of men wearing masks and 
muffled up in cloaks, were seen entering your prem- 
ises a short time ago. We were at once ordered 
here, and given a military warrant, to arrest all sus- 
picious or disorderly persons tha*- we might meet. 
But they are not here; you have not seen them? 

Davis (aside.) 
To tell the truth is cowardly here ; 
To lie is unmanly; I will have to 
Use diplomacy. 

Captain. 
You have seen nothing of them. Senator? 

Davis. 
Suspicious or disorderly persons are 
Rarely seen in my house or on my grounds ; 
I have seen no such persons here to-night. 

Captain. 
Very well, sir, then we will take our leave; but 
perhaps it would be well to leave you a guard dur- 
ing the night. 

Davis. 
No, I do not deem such action at all necessary. 

Captain. 
Good-night. 

Davis. 
Good-night, gentlemen. (The Captain bows, and 
exeunt soldiers.) 



86 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



Davis. 
Gentlemen, come forth, the coast is clear. 

Cobb. 
And well have you borne yourself, and used 
Much tact, to get us out of this dilemma. 
That threatened dangerous consequence. 

Davis. 
You heard all? 

Cobb. 
Yes, every word; and our thoughts alternated 
Twixt mirth and apprehension. 

Benjamin. 
Now, 'tis the part of wisdom, that having • 
Weathered this gale, our business being 
Done, we break otf betimes and seek some rest. 

Davis. 
After you have partaken of a light lunch, 
Which is already prepared; now don't 
Object; it will be of no avail. Come 
Gentlemen. (They enter house.) 

(Enter soldier, who stealthily crosses stage and looks 
in window of dining-room.) 

Soldier. 
There's the conspiracy sure enough! 
But they fooled the Captain all right. 
Davis arises and speaks, 1 can see his 
Shadow, and ha ! ha ! in my mind's eye 
Methinks I see that same shadow in the 
Dim light cast by the gloomy walls of 
Some federal prison. The Captain damned 
Me and said my disclosure to General 
Scott was all rot, but I saw masked men 
Enter these gardens ; and what a man sees 
With his own eyes, he is sure of. 
I stole away from the rest and came 
Back here, and here they are winding up 
Their evil work with a feast. fPoMPEY is now seen 

in the back part listening.) General 
Scott shall hear of this the first thing 
In the morning; I'll get out now before 
They see me; what's this? 

(Picks up a paper and reads it.) 
"To the Members of the Confederacy. All mem- 
bers will leave Washington at once; those who are 
Members of Congress to first send notice to that 
body that they sever their connection with it. 
Emissaries of our cause will remain in Washington, 
whose names are as follows as per the cypher code. 
The Society by a majority vote is pledged to seces- 
sion, (signed) Sturtevant, Secretary." 
Well, I'll be d — arned ! this is more than 
I hoped for; evidence enough to convict 
Them, in their own writing. General Scott 
Will see this in the morning; now for 
Home and sleep. 
(Attempts to leave, but is met by Pompey, with a 
drawn pistol.) 

POMPEY. 

Here you eaves-dropper, give up that paper. You 
sneak ; you midnight marauder ; give it up I say, and 



go 'long with me to Marsa Davis and tell him what 
you doin' on his ground after midnight. 

Soldier. 
Throw down that gun, and get out of my way. 

POMPEY. 

Do as I tell yo' chile, for Ise g'wine to shoot. 
(The soldier here grabs the pistol, and a scuffle en- 
sues, the pistol goes off, and the soldier makes 
his escape. Davis and the rest come out in 
haste.) 

Davis. 
Who fired that shot ? 

POMPEY. 

A robber ! quick ! chase him down to the gate. 

(Pompey, followed by the rest, go out and quickly 

return.) 

He's dun got away sure enuff, Marsa Davis. 

Hunter. 

What was he doing? 

POMPEY. 

It was one of them soldiers, sneaked back to spy ; 
he looked in the window, saw you, and said he'd 
report it in the mornin' to General Scott; then he 
picked up a paper about secession, read it, shook 
his fist and said it was a testimonial which would 
convict you all. 

Davis. 
Testimony, Pompey; testimony, not testimonial. 

POMPEY. 

Yes, sah, that was it ; then he started away, I tried 
to stop him with the pistol, but he pulled it from 
me, and it done gone off. 

Stephens. 
Then from that vast field of expedient 
Which thought furnishes to all men; choose 
We but this : immediate flight. We are 
Amongst enemies ; those enemies have the 
Mighty power of the Government back of 
Them : our actions and deeds, however worthy. 
Will be distorted into crimes. 

Cobb. 
Then let's to bed at once ; a few hours 
Of sleep, then up with the lark, to pack 
And arrange the prosy details of a 
Journey; and away with the morning train. 
Good-night, Davis. (Shaking hands.) 

Davis (as the others begin shaking.) 
Good-night to you, one and all. 

(As they look back to bow a last adieu.) 
And remember. Gentlemen, ere the morning 
Sun dyes these leaden clouds with streaks 
Of gold, you must be far from Washington. 



Scene II. — Richmond, Virginia. A street. 
Enter two citizens, meeting. 
First Citizen. 
Whither away so fast, my friend? and yet 
Methinks I can answer my own question: 
Thou goest to see the ceremonies in 
The Public Square. 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



87 



Second Citizen. 
Right; but it requires no oracle to 
Tell that, for every man and woman 
in Richmond will turn out to see the 
Brilliant illumination of the city, 
In honor of the inauguration of 
President Davis. 

First Citizen. 
Well, the whole thing is so mixed up 
That it takes a wise head to unravel it. 
He was inaugurated only a year ago. 
And now he is put to it agam: besides 
I for one cannot get head or tail to 
What they are doing either here at home, 
Or in the field. 

Second Citizen. 
Why, my dear fellow, it is all as plain 
As the nose on your face; his first term 
Of one year was under the provisional 
Government; then the constitution was 
Passed, making a permanent compact, 
And fixing the President's term of office 
At six years ; President Davis was re-elected. 
And to-day was duly installed in office 

First Citizen. 
Why, you have made that so clear, that a 
Child could understand it; but what is to 
Come out of it all? I guess it will puzzle 
You to tell me that. 

Second Citizen. 
When it was seen that the Constitution 
Was no longer binding on the Union, 
Certain States determined to break loose 
And form a government of their own : 
When the attempt was made to enter them 
And interfere with the exercise of their 
Liberty ; an army had to be raised to 
Quell this foreign invasion; that army 
Is now doing heroic service. But for 
This war, the Confederate States would 
Now be pursuing their peaceful way 
Under their Constitution ; an instrument 
Modeled almost exactly after the one 
Signed by Washington, Adams, Jefferson, 
And the others. 

First Citizen. 
I thank you very much for this, for now 
I see the whole thing clearly. Our cause 
Is truly noble, and every citizen should 
Give his property, nay, his life for it. 
(Exeunt-) 



Scene III. — Whole stage. Richmond. The Capitol. 

(Capitol, in the deep background, with broad balcony 
in front and wide marble stairway leading down 
into the Public Square in front; the Public 
Square is of level concrete ; the whole scene illu- 
minated, and adorned with foliage, monuments 
and statuary; spectators in gay attire are seen on 
the balcony, the windows of the Capitol, and in 
the square.) 



(Flourish, and enter President Davis, Vice-Presi- 
dent Stephens and the Cabinet; Toombs, Sec. 
of State; Menninger, Sec. of Treasury ;'W alker, 
Sec. of War; Mallory, Sec. of Navy; Benja- 
min, Attorney General; Reagan, Postmaster- 
General. They march slowly until half-way 
down the steps, where, in response to cheering, 
they stand and bow. 

Cobb. 
Let us give three cheers for 
Jefferson Davis, the President of our 
Confederate States : hip, hip, hurrah. 
Hurrah, hurrah; tiger. 

Seidell. 
And the same for Alexander H. Stephens, 
Our worthy Vice-President. 

(Cheers are given.) 

Cobb. 
Three cheers now for the Cabinet. 
(Cheers are given.) 
(President Davis and his party now continue down 
the steps and onto the stage, going to their left 
where two raised seats stand for the President 
and Vice-President, who both sit down, but Davis 
rises and says : 

Davis. 
My fellow citizens : I am happy to be 
Your Chief Magistrate again; once more 
Inaugurated for a term of six years, and 
Looked upon I hope with friendly eyes. 
(Cheers.) 
Citizen. 
Peace ; be silent, he begins again to speak. 

Davis. 
Many years ago our forefathers formed 
The Union : this Union, purchased and 
Gained by conquest vast tracts of land 
Known as territory; it was the common 
Property of all and subject to the 
Practices of all. When we saw that an 
Institution of the South : slavery 
(Which was formerly an institution 
Of the North also and expressly 
Recognized by the Constitution) was 
To be prohibited in this territory; 
We seceded and established our own 
Union : and it is this Confederacy 
That we are fighting to preserve. (Cheers.) 
We have been accused of deserting the 
Flag : this charge we indignantly repel : 
It is the enemy who has trampled 
All that the flag stands for, in the dust. 
We love the old flag, and view with deep 
Sorrow the attempt to make it an emblem 
Of tyranny and oppression. The history 
Of nations shows that many a flag conceived 
And born from the painful throes of the 
People, has afterwards been waved over 
Scenes of rapine and murder; that by its 
Glory the crimes might be sanctified. (Cheers.) 
(Takes a flag from the decorations.) 



88 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



You all see this flag? (Shouts of yes, yes.) 
May I descend, and will you give me leave? 

(Citizens cry Yes, yes; come down; and Davis de- 
scends the steps of his throne and walks to the 
centre of the stage with the flag-) 

What does the American Flag represent? 
Thirteen stripes and thirteen stars, for the 
Original thirteen States, and one added 
Star for each new State. The stars are now 
Thirty-four in number, as twenty-one new 
States have been formed. (Cheers.) 
The glory of the Stars and Stripes cannot 
Be dimmed by those who have repudiated 
The doctrines for which it stands; and I 
Exhort, 1 implore you to love it; for 
It stands first for liberty, and second 
For the sovereignty of every State. (Cheers.) 
('Davis goes back and sits down; cries of Stephens, 
Stephens. Stephens speaks from the steps of 
his throne.) 

Stephens. 
Countrymen, and lovers of country ! 
Hear me for my country's sake (and to 
Hear you must keep silent.) Oh, believe 
That 1 am honorable, and have respect 
For that honor: if your awakened wisdom 
Find anything to censure, let it be so. 
You all loved the Union, and Stephens's 
Love was no less than yours; why did we 
Then secede? Mot that we loved the 
Union less, but that we loved principle 
More. We hold that the Constitution cannot 
Be changed by revolution, but by the 
Method provided in the instrument: 
Amendment. To-day we inaugurated our 
President, and to-night we have met 
Together to honor him. An Allegory, 
Which will very briefly represent the 
Glorious traditions of the past will 
Now be presented. (Sits down.) 
(Trumpet sounds and thirteen young ladies, repre- 
senting the thirteen original States, march in; 
they wear crowns and blue waists covered with 
stars, and red and white striped skirts, and white 
sashes around waist with the name of the State 
in gold in front. They come from each side of 
the balcony, and having formed a single column 
facing the audience, march down the steps to the 
front of the stage; the line from right to left is: 
Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Mas- 
sachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New 
York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode 
Island, South Carolina, Virginia.) 
(New Jersey, in the middle of the line says :) 

We represent the 13 American Colonies of Eng- 
land, who in the War of the Revolution gained their 
independence, became Sovereign States, and form- 
ed the United States, under the Constitution. 
(The young lady at the right end of line says : "Con- 
necticut," the one next to her says "Delaware," 
and so on in regular order down the line they 
speak the name of the State they represent. 



After this they About Face and march to their 
right around and back to a point directly across 
the stage from the President, where they form a 
group.) 

(Trumpet sounds, and young lady costumed like the 
others enters along the balcony, and descending 
the steps walks to front of stage and says : "/ 
represent the first new State, Vermont, joined 
the Union in 1791." She turns to her right and 
goes around and back and joins the group. An- 
other young lady comes from the opposite side 
of the balcony and descends the steps to the 
front of stage and says: "Kentucky, 1792," and 
also joins the group. In this way they keep com- 
ing rapidly one at a time from alternate sides of 
the balcony and going through the same for- 
mulae, "Tennessee, 1796," "Ohio, 1802," "Louisi- 
ana, 1812," "Indiana, 1816," "Mississippi, 1817," 
"Illinois, 1818," "Alabama, 1819," "Maine, 1820," 
"Missouri, 1821," "Arkansas, 1836," "Michigan, 
1837," "Florida, 1845," "Texas, 1845," "Iowa, 
1846," "Wisconsin, 1848," "California, 1850," 
"Minnesota, 1858," "Oregon, 1859," "Kansas, 
1861.") 

(There are now 34 young ladies in the group, which 
is the number of States in the United States 
when the war broke out.) 

(The Ballet-master arranges some artistic and chaste 

evolutions for the young ladies to go through.) 
(As a climax to this scene a young lady comes to the 

front as "Chorus" with a banner of large dimen- 
sions of American flag and Eagle, and recites 

these lines : 

When America, with her new-born right, 

Unfurled her standard to the air. 

She tore the azure robe of night. 

And set the stars of glory there ; 

She mingled with its gorgeous dyes 

The milky baldric of the skies, 

And striped its pure celestial white 

With streakings of the morning light : 

Then from his mansion in the sun 

She called her eagle-bearer down. 

And gave into his mighty hand > 

This symbol of a Nation grand. 

Majestic monarch of the cloud! 
Who rear'st aloft thy regal form. 
To hear the tempest-trumpings loud. 
And see the lightning lances driven. 
When strive the warriors of the storm. 
And rolls the thunder-drums of heaven: 
Child of the sun! to thee is given 
To guard the banner of the States, 
To keep its folds forever free 
From faithlessness and tyranny. 

Flag of the fond heart's love of home ! 
By angel hands to patriots given; 
Thy stars have lit the welkin dome. 
And all thy hues were born in heaven. 

(Curtain.) 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



89 



ACT III 



Scene I. — Gettysburg, Penn. A rocky pass in the 
mountains. 

(Two Union pickets, marching up and down.) 

Picket. 
Who comes there? 

(A Lieutenant staggers in bearing a flag; and some 
soldiers.) 

Lieutenant. 
Friends of this flag, and henchmen of the 
Union. (Plants the flag in the ground.) 

Picket. 
How came this plight? 

Lieutenant. 
Cowards make enemies of friends ; he that 
Bore this flag being in danger, was 
About to throw it down, leaving it an 
Easy trophy for the enemy. Felling the 
Coward I took it from him and beat my 
Way into our lines. 

(He staggers and falls.) 
Second Picket (to soldiers.) 
Take hold and bear him to a place of safety. 
(Noise is heard, followed by musket shots.) 
Picket. 
'Tis the Rebels ; I see their gray uniforms ; let's 
hide in yonder thicket. 

(Pickets fire and retire.) 
(Enter straggling soldiers (Confederates), followed 
by Generals Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Long- 
street, Hill, Pettigrew, and body guard.) 
Jackson. 
There lies Gettysburg, — and that huge mass 
Of rock, is Cemetery Hill. From that height, 
Field-glasses will have an unobstructed 
Scope. Thence we can see the position of 
Both armies, and like skillful chessmen 
Make our moves in this great game of war. 

Longstreet. 
After two days of conflict, with terrible 
Carnage on both sides, upon this the 
Dawning of the third day, the battle stands 
As though it had just begun, a victory 
For neither side; but God knows what would 
Have become of us, Jackson if your division 
Had not stood like a stone wall. 

Hill. 
Now, comrades, may the fates to-day stand 
Friendly, that this battle won, we lovers 
Of peace may in smiling scenes lead on 
Our days to age. The enemy beaten let's 
Pursue him with rapid marches, and taking 
Possession of great cities, hold them as 
Hostages to force a treaty. What says 
Our great General Lee? 

Lee. 
Good counsel stands approved until it 
Can be bettered; therefore, let me speak, 



And weigh you carefully the merit of 
My words : a quick invasion of the 
Enemy's country, and to administer 
To him a crushing defeat; to persist 
Until he has to concentrate forces 
To resist us ; to withdraw them from our 
Territory; but when he has massed an 
Army sufficient to defeat us, 'twere 
Foolhardy to remain amidst our foes 
To meet certain destruction ; but to retreat 
Across the border line, so that at our 
Backs we can have friends, not enemies. 
This seems to me to be good strategy. 

Longstreet. 
Let us follow our Commander's admirable 
Plan, to the letter ; and to do it we 
Must crush the army that now confronts us. 
Come ! seek we at once the summit of 
Yonder mountain, and give our orders for 
Immediate action ; yesterday I noticed 
But faint resistance on Dan Sickle's wing 
And sudden charge throws them in panic. 

(Exeunt.) 
(Re-enter the two Union pickets.) 
Picket. 
I wanted to shoot; but our orders were not to 
fire unless we were fired upon. This troop of Rebels 
were evidently of some consequence. I wonder 
who they were? 

Second Picket. 
I would like to know; but our course is plain, to 
keep at their heels, see where they are bound for, 
and then report to the Colonel. (Music is heard, 
and Picket goes to flies and looks.) Here comes 
another Union picket. 

(Enter another Union picket.) 
Old Picket. 
What means this music? 

New Picket. 
The great Union Generals are coming this way : 
Meade, Hancock, Sedgwick, Sickles and Slocum. 
Old Picket. 
Is it so? Well we have our work, and we must 
be about it. (Exeunt three pickets.) 
(Music continues, then enter with drums and colors, 
Generals Meade, Hancock, Sedgwick, Sic- 
kles and Slocum. 

Sickles. 
As this day dawns our cause seems desperate 
Indeed; repulsed yesterday at many 
Points by overwhelming numbers, it seems 
Best for us to fall back until our forces 
Can be recruited. 

Hancock. 
There is a crisis in the lives of men 
When boldness leads them on to fortune; 
Hesitation or doubt are treacherous foes. 
More subtle than the cruel enemy: 
Let us plan, then, with the cunning of 



90 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



The fox, but execute with the courage 
Of the lion, if fall we must, let the 
Enemy pay dear for it. 

Meade. 
Right, Hancock. 

When reverses come shall we go back 
Dismayed? or with our shining bayonets 
At the enemy's breast make him retire? 
Do we lack spirit? then let us think 
Of the heroes who led this very army; 
The army of the Potomac : Winfield Scott, 
McDowell, McClellan, who more than held 
His own against our brave and formidable 
Foes : Burnside and Fighting Joe Hooker, 
These two, hurling their forces against 
The enemy, at Fredericksburg and at 
Chancellorsville ; but He who rules the 
Destinies of men, was not propitious. 
Emboldened by success the enemy quitting 
Our front, marched into Pennsylvania; 
And we following met him here at Gettysburg; 
Where for two days we have been beaten 
Back, owing to his superiority in men 
And cannon : let us now meet his terrible 
Assaults, which are sure to come to-day. 
Bravely ; and when we have him weakened. 
Take the offensive ourselves, and beat 
Him backward home. 

Hancock. 
General Meade, 

Your plan indeed bears all the outward 
Marks of wisdom : then let our fiery and 
Impetuous blood give way to your sage 
Counsel. 

(Enter a Courier breathlessly.) 

Courier. 
The enemy advances in heavy lines, and many a 
cannon vomits forth its lightning and its thunder. 
Meade. 
Then we must out and fight ! 
O, that it were given to men sometimes 
To anticipate the future ; I feign would 
Know the end of this day's horror ere 
The fight begins; but night will come. 
And with it perfect knowledge : come ! away ! 

(Exeunt.) 



Scene H. — Gettysburg. The field of battle. 
(Cemetery Hill in the background, with some soldiers 
on it passing to and fro, and some cannon mov- 
ing.) 
(Enter on the main stage, a squadron of Infantry, in 
rout.) 
General Slocum (brandishing sword.) 
Halt ! if you be men ! 

Reform your ranks ; and stop this cowardly 
Retreat. All is not lost, although the 
Repeated assaults of the enemy all 
Along the line made us give ground ; 
'Twas but the bending of the sturdy oak 
Under the fierce blasts : he cannot charge 
Forever ! and once his ardor has been 



Cooled by bloody repulses, then will 
We give him a taste of our steel. 

(Shots and noise, and then enter the Confederates, 
who charge the Union columns, and after a se- 
vere conflict Union forces retreat off the stage, 
Confederates pursuing, and then enter Generals 
Lee, Longstreet, Hill and Pettigrew, all on 
horseback.) 

Hill. 
Oh, look General, how the foemen fly! 
While our forces pursue and harass them. 

Longstreet. 
At no time during the three score years 
And ten (man's maxim allotment of life). 
Could I find such a convenient time to 
Die, as here upon this battlefield, that 
My spirit migiit rise to Heaven upon 
The shouts of our victorious countrymen. 

Lee. 
A noble sentiment, and uttered by 
A worthy patriot ! But now listen great 
Things, for we are still in the midst of 
Enemies, and our meditations must be 
Made in spite of noise and danger imminent ! 
How can we turn this partial victory 
Into a lOUt? If we withdraw our troops 
From the enemy's shattered lines, they 
Will be led into treacherous security; 
Then from the top of Cemetery Hill, 
Will we belch fiery death into their 
Lines, from the cross-fire of 100 cannon; 
When these devilish instruments have made 
The forest resound with the clamors from 
Their rude throats, then will we charge with 
Twenty thousand men into the Union centre ! 
If this does not rout them, then philosophy 
Is but an idle dream, or sweet religion 
But an unsubstantial fabric of conjecture. 

(Enter a General in sumptuous uniform of the Union 
army, excited and brandishing his sword.) 
Union General. 
Where's he that wears golden marks of merit 
Upon his shoulders? I will not cross swords 
With one below my rank ; kind fortune send 
Him, hear my call ! for such I fight, or 
None at all. 
(Confederate Generals level their pistols at him, and 
cry out : "Surrender." ) 
Hill. 
Do not shoot him but Ifeave him to me ! 
(Hill dismounts and approaches him) 
I do protest that your vaunted prowess 
Is false as the cause you do represent : 
In single combat will I prove this true. 
Or fall a victim to my cowardice and you. 

Union General. 
Your words are voluble enough, your blows 
Remain as yet unknown ; lay on that this 
Good sword may give them trial. 
(Exit fighting furiously; and then re-enter Hill, 
wounded in tht' arm.) 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



91 



Lee. 
Ah! you return conqueror I see General? 
But you are wounded ! 

Hill. 
'Tis but a scratch, and I gave as 
As I received; then seeing the enemy 
ODming this way in great numbers, to warn 
You I deemed so urgent, that I took 
To my heels without more ado. 

LONGSTREET. 

Let us make haste then to Cemetery Hill, 
And give orders for the furious storm 
Of shot and shell; and when this counterfeit 
Of Jove's thunder has stunned them, then 
Sweep down the mountain side with our 
Avalanche of men, and overwhelm them at 
The point of the bayonet. 

(They are fired at by some approaching soldiers in the 
background.) 

Lee. 
Let us do so, and it brooks no delay; 
The messengers of death are on their way. 

(Exeunt.) 

(Furious cannonading now ensues, and finally ceases : 
then enter a large force of Union soldiers, fol- 
lowed by Generals Meade, Hancock, Slocum, 
and Sickles, and a few staff officers with field- 
glasses. Hancock takes a field-glass and levels 
it upon the Confederate batteries and forces on 
Cemetery Hill, which is to the left of the stage 
and reaching way off in the background.) 

Hancock. 
Now, General, our prayers seem granted; 
'Twas thought the enemy would no longer 
Fight, but keep the hills and pester us 
With cannon shot; it proves not so, their 
Forces are being formed to carry out 
A movement of much magnitude. 

(Meade takes the field-glass from Hancock, and sur- 
veys the scene himself.) 

Meade. 
I seem to know their plans, as though 
Within their bosoms ; they have massed their 
Guns upon the mountains, and under cover 
Of this storm of shot and shell, will soon 
Make a furious onslaught on our lines. 
Soldiers ! they are about to charge us with 
Great bodies of troops ; stand your ground, 
And we will repulse them, or bar their 
Passage with our Union dead : in peace we 
All admire the men of patience and humility ; 
But these very men can change their natures, 
And dealing alone in the grim instruments 
Of death, become relentless and cruel as 
Fate. Here can you prove, that the patriots 
Of old, your reputed fathers, did beget 
You : that when your country is in peril. 
You can look on even death, indifferently. 
(To Adjutant) Adjutant, give your orders. 



Adjutant. 
Form into single columns of battle, along the 
whole line : march ! 

(The soldiers here form into columns of men, the 
lines extending from front of stage way back to 
the background of Cemetery Hill; on the right 
side of the stage.) 

Hancock {who has been using field-glass.) 

Here they come ! (Putting away glass and draw- 
ing his sword) 

Now soldiers, remember, your deeds are 
About to be indelibly recorded upon 
The pages of history; if cowardly, the 
Lapse of years may mitigate, but not 
Ettace your deep sorrow; if brave, the 
Hosannas will reach the hollows where 
Echo lives, and endless repetitions 
Will reverberate through future years ! 

(The Confederates are now seen charging down Cem- 
etery Hill, in the background, and soon they also 
com,e through the flies onto the stage, where a 
fierce hand to hand combat takes place, the Union 
forces are at first forced back, the Generals fight- 
ing sword duels, afterwards the Confederates are 
completely routed, the Union soldiers leaving the 
stage in pursuit, the Generals and the staff offi- 
cers remaining . The stage is covered with fal- 
len soldiers.) 

Meade. 
When the golden sun sinks to rest to-night 
He looks upon the success of our arms, 
And smiles to think of rebels' overthrow. 

Hancock. 
This is indeed a glorious victory ! 
Complete and far reaching; and full of 
Deepest consequence to the final success 
Of our arms. — The battle of Gettysburg! 

Meade. 
Upon the outcome of this battle hung 
The very life of the Nation ! Thank God ! 
The victory's ours. (Looking on the ground) 
But see ! the ground is covered with the 
Dead ! the losses on both sides are frightful. 
We must give orders at once for their 
Kindly burial : and ask the President 
To provide some marble testimony to 
Their bravery and self-sacrifice. 

(Curtain.) 



Scene HL — Gettysburg. A small section of the 

National Cemetery. 
(Two grave-diggers, working in partly dug grave.) 
First Digger. 
Is he to be buried in Christian burial who died in 
bloody warfare? 

Second Digger. 
I tell you he is ; and therefore set about it straight 
to finish his grave. Public sentiment of all ages has 
passed upon it and pronounced it Christian burial. 



92 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



First Digger. 
How can that be, unless he was non compos men- 
tis, and could not distinguish between right and 
wrong? 

Second Digger. 
Ask not me; go to those who are learned. 

First Digger. 

It must be SE DEFENDENDO, (in self de- 
fence), it cannot be otherwise; for here lies the 
point: the enemy came to him; therefore to defend 
himself was right; but mark you, if he had gone to 
the enemy, he is guilty of murder, and goes to the 
potter's field. 

Second Digger. 

Nay, but hear me, brother digger; if I quarrel 
with you and in the fracas kill you, the gallows 
makes amends to your widow ; but if I homicide 
you in warfare the Nation is responsible, and the 
Nation cannot be subpoena'd into court. 

First Digger. 
But is this law? 

Second Digger. 

Certainly it is; martial law. Well, here's the 

truth about it: if this war had not been brought 

about by the great, whom the law cannot touch, this 

man would have been buried out of Christian burial. 

First Digger. 
Why, there you speak truly ; and much shame it 
is that great ones can break the moral law but not 
their poorer neighbors. Why should not those who 
bring on the wars do all the fighting? 

Second Digger. 
That saying shows thee to be possessed of great 
wisdom. The man who has to carry the water is 
very careful not to upset it. I will try your wis- 
dom farther ; answer me this question : who are first 
in authority over property? 

First Digger. 
Oh, that is easy to answer : why the Surrogate, of 
course. 

Second Digger. 
The answer is good, but it is not the true answer. 
Your Surrogate probates the wills and testaments of 
your great landowner, your great accumulator of 
stocks and bonds, your great trust magnate, and 
others of like character; all of whom make the poor 
sweat. But there is one who tops even the Surro- 
gate. 

First Digger. 
And who is that? 

Second Digger. 
Your grave-maker, for he probates the will of 
God, who hath decreed that all men, be they either 
rich or poor, honest men or rogues, shall equally 
inherit six feet by two of ground, with a few inches 
extra in length for your tall man, or in breadth for 
your fat man. 

(Enter Lincoln and Seward.j 
(They are looking around, and incidentally over-hear 
and are attracted by the talk of the grave-diggers; 
but stand well away from them.) 



First Digger. 
Ha ! ha ! no caveat needs to be filed there, for 
that will cannot be broken; and no man that ever 
lived, not even Adam, received more, nor will they 
ever. But now I will put a question to YOU, and 
if you answer not, confess yourself to be stupid. 

Second Digger. 
Very well, let me have it. 

First Digger. 
Who is the only merry person amongst those 
gathered in attendance at a funeral ? 

Second Digger. 
Ha! ha! let me see: is it the corpse? 

First Digger. 
No; the undertaker, for he gains where the oth- 
ers lose : although his forthcoming bill will violate 
all rules of arithmetic, he knows that no one will 
dare dispute it. 

Second Digger (dropping his clay pipe.) 
There goes my pipe ! and broken too ; here, go to 
the village, get me another, and bring a paper of 
tobacco also. 

(Exit First Digger.) 

Lincoln. 
Seward, have these fellows no thought of 
The solemnity of their surroundings. 
That they laugh and crack jokes at grave-making? 

Seward. 
Being accustomed to it, has made it a 
Congenial and even enjoyable task 
To them. So are all those who perform 
Honest toil recompensed. 

Lincoln. 
'Tis even so : with what nice discrimination 
Doth nature select her agents ; giving 
To each man qualities, that make him 
See in his own work, the most fortunate 
Phase of existence. Now, your Headsman: 
The lugubrious nature of his occupation 
Would make of him a dispeptic and a cynic, 
Were it not that HE looks upon it 
As a useful industry; and smiles while 
He is about it. I will speak with this 
Fellow: whose grave is this, my dear sir? 
Second Digger. 
This, this is for a malefactor ; I know him not by 
name. 

Lincoln. 
This is a National cemetery, and only 
Soldiers and sailors, who die in the war 
Can be interred here; therefore you are 
In error when you call him a malefactor. 

Second Digger. 
Hast ever read the Scripture? thereabouts where 
it speaks of Cain, who did the first murder: and 
the Lord asked him where Abel was, and Cain an- 
swered : "I know not, am I my brother's keeper?" 
And the Lord said : "Thy brother's blood crieth un- 
to me from the ground." 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



93 



Seward. 
You are right ; the shedding of man's 
Blood by his fellow man, is not only 
Abhorred by God, but by all civilized 
Peopfes : but war — here the case is vastly 
Different; here men slay and are slain 
For the love of country ; that existing 
Institutions may be maintained. 
Is it not glorious to die that your 
Country may live? 

Second Digger. 
If it's good for a country to live it's good for a 
man to live; and that's what God made him for; 
let's reverse it then, and have existing institutions, 
as you call them, die, that men may live. 

Lincoln. 
My good fellow, your ethics are as 
Far from the hollow and artificial 
Statesmanship of to-day as the Apostles 
Differed from the men of their time. 
Your philosophy has the strength and 
Purity of the mountains. 

(A bell begins tolling.) 

Seward. 
Come ! that bell warns us not to tarry 
Longer: the ceremonies are about to begin. 
(Exeunt Lincoln and Seward; curtain.) 



Scene IV. — Gettysburg. The National Cemetery. 
(Great vista of graves and monuments, in the hack 
perspective with the stage arranged to corres- 
pond; rising piece of ground near front of stage 
one side, where Lincoln stands and makes his 
address. A bell is tolling, and some people 
gather : solemn march, then enter a party com- 
posed of civilians, soldiers and sailors, followed 
by Lincoln and Seward and other dignitaries ; 
then enter a chorus, of young ladies and children, 
carrying wreaths of flowers; they line up on the 
stage facing the audience, children in front, and 
young ladies next; a clergyman then makes 
prayer :) 

Clergyman. 
Almighty God! our Heavenly Father, without 
whose aid no victory can be won, or no good fruits 
can follow in the wake of triumph, we implore Thee 
to bring this war to a speedy termination, and that 
at' its close Thy Kingdom may be still more firmly 
established on the earth. We ask Thy favor for 
this cemetery ; a resting place for the brave soldiers 
and sailors who fall upon the battle-field. May the 
self-sacrifice and consecration to duty of these noble 
men find favor in Thv sight, when their immortal 
parts appear before Thy throne of grace. May 
the baser passions disappear from the earth, and 
be replaced by forces that savor of Heavenly 
things ; then the horrors of war will cease ; the in- 
humanities of civil aflrairs will cease, and Peace on 
Earth Good Will amongst Men will prevail every- 
where. All this we ask, not from our own deserv- 
ings, but through the merits of Jesus Christ, our 
Lord. Amen. 



Seward. 
When the smoke cleared away from the 
Battle-field of Gettysburg, there was 
Disclosed to view the prostrate forms 
Of many men; the dead and the dying, 
The blue and the gray; so numerous and 
So interwoven together, as to cover 
The ground with a carpet of humanity, 
Whose rosebuds were of blood : the unreasoning 
And irreconcilable passions of life. 
Had been blended and made into a common 
Whole, by the master hand of death. 
That sad scene was an inspiration to 
This Government ; for from the soul harrowing 
Picture arose the sacred nature of the 
Obligations that we as a people and 
As a nation owe to those noble men; 
And this National Cemetery, for the 
Burial place of soldiers and sailors. 
Whether they be Union or Confederate, 
Was the result. We are met here to-day 
To dedicate, to consecrate this ground 
To that holy purpose ; and we mingle 
Our voices, our emotions, our tears. 
Together in one requiem to the dead. 
(The Chorus now sings some beautiful music (a 
requiem) , during the latter part of the singing they 
go to the rear and decorate the graves and return 
singing all the time : they have gathered in regu- 
lar formation again, but when the singing is done 
they drop to one side in a group.) 

Seward. 
The President of the United States, who earnestly 
desired to be present on this occasion, and add to 
the tributes of praise which spring from the hearts 
of the people in remembrance of the nobility of 
these departed men : will now address you. 

Lincoln. 
Four score and seven years ago our 
Fathers brought forth upon this continent 
A new Nation, conceived in liberty, and 
Dedicated to the proposition that 
All men are created equal. Now we are 
Engaged in a great civil war; testing 
Whether that nation, or any nation 
So conceived and so dedicated, can 
Long endure. We are met on a great 
Battlefield of that war. We have come 
To dedicate a portion of that field 
As a final resting place for those who 
Here gave their lives that the Nation 
Might live. It is altogether fitting 
And proper that we should do this. 
But, in a larger sense, we cannot 
Dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we 
Cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, 
Living and dead, who struggled here, have 
Consecrated it, far above our power 
To add or detract. The world will little 
Note nor long remember what we say here, 
But it can never forget what they did 
Here; it is for us, the living, rather 
To be dedicated here to the unfinished 



94 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



Work which they who fought here have thus 
Far so nobly advanced. It is rather 
For us to be here dedicated to the 
Great task remaining before us : that 
From these honored dead we take increased 
Devotion to that cause for which they 
Gave the last full measure of devotion ; 
That we here highly resolve that these dead 
Shall not have died in vain, that this 
Nation, under God, shall have a new birth 
Of freedom; and that Government of the 
People, by the people, and for the people, 
Shall not perish from the earth. 
(The oration seems to add to the impressive solem- 
nity of the occasion, and all remain silent.) 
(The Chorus coines together in formation again, fac- 
ing the audience, and sings again; then the band 
plays a solemn March, and the Chorus takes up 
the tune and marches out, followed by the civil- 
ians, soldiers, sailors and last Lincoln and Sew- 
ard.^ 

(Curtain.) 



Scene V. — Washington. The White House; Presi- 
dent's study.) 
Lincoln (throws down book, arises and walks.) 
In silence and alone, the soul must feed 
Upon itself ; and then the dose not being 
Mixed with the tempering plaudits of 
Sycophantic men, is tasted in its native 
Bitterness, and the shallowness of him 
Is seen who seeks to soar not to nobler 
Ends, than power. To be justly great, 
Is not to have great power or wealth, 
But to help great hordes of men, who have 
Nothing; not even liberty, that Heaven-born 
Legacy to men. I have become a fixed 
Figure for passion to point his vehement 
Finger at, when the tempest rages in the 
Hearts of men ; the mountain top around 
Which the lightning flashes and the thunder 
Rolls, when the usurping clouds dethrone 
The God of azure. I am not happy ! for 
The jubilant shouts I hear are mixed with 
Dying groans, and pale faces of widows 
And fatherless children spectre-like rise 
Before me. — Men made furious by passion 
Aiming to cause general destruction 
By scientific processes ; and all for 
The Union ; can any real union be attained 
By hearts and souls filled with hatred 
And revenge? No, this carnage must have 
A deeper purpose ; Providence angered at 
Our delay, has ordained that the chains 
With which the colored man is bound. 
Must be severed by bursting shells and 
The terrible blows of cannon balls. 
The first exultation which comes from 

■ Power, has gone, and left me saddened 
And aged ; so that I shall be pleased 
When Heaven releases me from this world 
Of tumult and turmoil, and I enter in 



That peaceful and simple Kingdom, whose 
Portal is the grave. (Enter Mrs. Lincoln.) 
Dear wife, I am glad you came in for 
I have something weighty for your ears. 

Mrs. Lincoln. 
Dear husband, these weighty matters are 
My source of woe, for look how they do 
Bear you down ; your hair is streaked with 
Silver, and your face, oh, so careworn : 
You little know how you are changed in 
Disposition, for yesterday at supper 
You absent-mindedly arose, and with 
Your arms across stood the picture of 
Surmise ; and when I asked you what the 
Matter was, you looked upon me with 
Ungentle looks, but made no answer. 
It will not let you eat, sleep or talk 
Naturally, and has wrought so much 
Lfpon you that I scarce know you as 
My joyous husband of former times. 

Lincoln. 
This is a tribute which fate exacts 
From every one, to make the body fade 
In the soul's service ; I have been called 
To these duties, and I must discharge them 
Without counting the cost to myself. 
Would we could have the happy quiet days 
Of old; still I love you none the less. 

Mrs. Lincoln. 
All lawyers know that a simple assertion 
Is no proof ; but I will put you to the 
Test, and hereby command you to pay less 
Attention to office cares and more to me. 
You used to tell me that I was very 
Handsome, an opinion held by the world; 
I flatter myself that those charms are 
Not entirely gone ; besides I am still 
Young, at least in spirit, and I demand 
Sir, that you shall consider me to be 
The chief object of your existence, not 
Your country. 

Lincoln. 
I shall in all things obey the commands 
Of my superior officer. 

Mrs. Lincoln. 
Why, 'tis a loving and fair reply, and 
Given with such evident sincerity, 
That my orders will not take the roughness 
Of authority, but the persuasive nature 
Of requests: what have you on this morning? 

Lincoln. 
The cabinet meeting. 

Mrs. Lincoln. 
After that, what ? 

Lincoln. 
Nothing particular for a few hours. 

Mrs. Lincoln. 
Then you will come with me; but not for 
Pleasure, and yet what can give you greater 
Joy than seeking Willie's grave? our dear son; 
Had for a while and lately lost. You will 
Go, will you not? 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



95 



Lincoln. 
Yes, dear wife, yes. I saw him last night. 

Mrs. Lincoln. 
Saw him? 

Lincoln. 
Yes, in my sleep, when the spirit catching 
Its sentry the body napping, visits the 
Land of dreams : I saw him as plainly 
As I do you, with outstretched arms and 
Plaintive voice, whispering "Father, there 
Are no slaves up here." 

Mrs. Lincoln. 
He oft appears to me, and you also 
In all the fond lights which recollection 
Throws around the dear departed ; but your 
Vision was but fancy of a care-laden mind. 

Lincoln. 
Call it what you will, it was as true 
As any picture that the mind creates 
While in possession of its functions. 

Mrs. Lincoln. 
Well, I will leave you now, but remember 
Our visit to Willie. 

Lincoln. 
Oh, I shall not forget that. 
If you run across Tad, send him in to me. 

Mrs. Lincoln (going to door and returning.) 
You will take care of your health now 
Won't you? and forget my peevishness. 
Let me help you, confide in me more; 
And this loving partnership in care 
Will make the burden lighter. 

Lincoln. 
My faithful, true and honorable wife, 
No dearer thing than thee is graven 
On my heart. 

(Exit Mrs. Lincoln, Lincoln sits down to his lab- 
ors, enter Tad.j 

Tad. 
Father, I have been playing ball an hour or 
so and yet you did not come out and join me. 

Lincoln. 
I would surely have been there, Tad, but 
Your mother was here, and now I am waiting 
For the Cabinet. 

Tad. 
The Cabinet! Oh those tiresome men, how they 
bore me with their mock dignity and stiff ways ; 
let me play one of your Cabinet officers and show 
you how he looks to me. (Sits down in a very stiff 
and upright manner, rises stiffly, opens a huge 
book, examines it closely, then struts up and down 
the room, saying: Most urgent sir, affairs of state 
demand immediate attention.) 

Lincoln. 
Ha! ha! ha! excellent Tad, excellent — 
But, seriously my boy, these men are 
Learned, good and noble, and our country 
Cannot get along without them ; besides 



They have been of vast service to your 
Father. You would not want to do away 
With them, would you? 

Tad. 
Yes, if I were President, I would soon make them 
walk the plank. 

Lincoln. 
How would you run the Government? 

Tad. 
If they ever make me President I would take all 
my officers from our ball club. I would make the 
pitcher Secretary of State; the catcher. Secretary 
of the Treasury ; and the Secretary of War I 
would give to the umpire, because he is an all 
around fighter. 

Lincoln. 
Ha ! ha ! very good my lad, very good in 
Its way; but how would you solve all 
The grave questions that would arise? 
Ball players know little of state affairs. 

Tad. 
This present war is a dispute over slavery, ain't 
it? Now, when anybody disputed a law or wanted 
to make a new one, instead of fighting about it they 
would send their ball team here and challenge us, 
and if we found that they had licked the scrubs, we 
would accept, and the result of the dispute would 
depend upon the result of the game. If they had 
not walloped the scrubs we would send them back 
to get a reputation. 

Lincoln. 
Ha ! ha ! Ah, ha ! a novel and 
Somewhat startling exercise of the 
Principle of arbitration, and yet well 
\\'ithin that method ; for ball-playing 
Requires thought as well as action. 
And arbitrators are always required 
To possess these qualities. These 
Chimeras of thy immature mind have 
Already taken shape among our men 
Of wisdom ; and the great problem is 
How the civilized nations can abolish 
Warfare, and thus save the sacrifice 
Of human life and prevent the wanton 
Destruction of property. (Enter servant.) 
Well, John? 

Servant. 
Sir, the members of the Cabinet have arrived and 
told me to inform you that they await your pleasure. 

Lincoln. 
Show them right in, John; now. Tad, you 
Will have to leave me, but I will see you 
Later on the ball-ground, but only for a 
Short time to-day, as I have an engagement 
With your mother. 

Tad. 
Well, it's too bad, father, that you cannot come 
out with me now. If they ever want me to become 
President they will have to raise the salary. (Exit 
Tad.) 



96 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



(Enter the Cabinet Ministers: William H. Seward, 
Secretary of State; Salmon P. Chase, Secretary 
of the Treasury; Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary 
of War; Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy; 
Montgomery Blair, Postmaster-General; also 
an Attorney-General, and a Secretary of the In- 
terior.) 

(They are followed by their secretaries, each one of 
whom carries a huge volume, which volumes are 
laid upon the table, and the Secretaries go out; 
and the Cabinet Ministers take their seats after 
bowing to the President. Stanton and Blair 
walk off to one side, conversing together.) 

Lincoln. 
Gentlemen, we will not consider to-day 
Our customary matters; let them rest 
Awhile. Meantime we will express our 
Deeper purposes, (to stenographer) Give me those 
papers, please. 

Blair (aside, to Stanton.) 
Stanton, he must mean the Emancipation 
Proclamation. 'Tis most inopportune, 
The project is not ripe. I pray you 
Stanton, bring up the more important 
Questions of the war department. 

Stanton. 
I shall do so at once. 

(Advances to table, and opens the huge portfolio 
and addresses Lincoln). 

Very distinguished Sir: Most urgent; 
Various dispatches from the Generals 
In command of our armies, seeking for 
Immediate instruction on vital questions. 

Lincoln (angered at interruption, and then break- 
ing into a smile.) 
Stanton: that will keep. 
(Sits down, crosses his legs, and speaks with great 
earnestness.) 
A lady, who had one child, a boy of eight years, 
invited a number of friends to dinner. On enter- 
ing the dining-room with her guests she was greatly 
chagrined to find James, the son, seated at the table 
cramming jelly down his throat, and the sides of his 
face literally covered with it. "Why, James, what 
are you doing?" said she, in an angry tone. "Why, 
mother, cook says that when the cork is taken out, 
it won't keep." 
(All the Cabinet laugh, which is joined in by Lin- 
coln. Stanton looks insulted at first, but he 
soon breaks out in hearty laughter.) 

(Stenographer here hands paper to Lincoln, and hav- 
ing become serious, he arises as though to speak.) 

Seward. 
Honored Sir: Affairs of the Department 
Of State; veri^ urgent. Slidell the 
Confederate emissary in Europe, 
Reports to his government, its probable 
Recognition by the European Powers. 



Lincoln. 
What can we avoid that's purposed by 
The unchangeable hand of fate ; yet all 
That human agencies can do must be 
Our part : telegraph our Ministers 
At the European Courts, that such action 
Must be prevented at all hazards. 

(To Stanton.) 
Stanton, let me have those dispatches 
I will look over them, and to-morrow 
We will our judgment join, to answer 
Them discreetly. Now, Gentlemen, listen 
Great things : the great question of human 
Liberty ; striking off the chains from 
The negroes, held as slaves, by those in 
Open rebellion against this Government. 

Chase. 
Pardon me. Your Excellency; most pressing: 
The Treasury Department, condition of 
Our finances, our credit so impaired 
Abroad that gold keeps rising. 

Lincoln. 
Et, tu. Brute! Thou too. Chase? then must 
I desist, and for these paltry details 
Of every day occurrence, postpone 
An act, whose fame unfolds as this earth revolves. 

Chase. 
Not for all the honors that this brief 
World affords would I or any of us here 
Oppose this glorious measure; but its 
Success depends upon deliberate and 
Most careful action. 

Seward. 
Liberty to these southern negroes, means 
The death knell of the irrepressible conflict. 
But we must not be too hasty, lest 
Enemies infect the public mind with doubts, 
By covert innuendoes ; the people 
Are easily fooled. 

Lincoln. 
Not so; you can fool some of the people 
All the time ; all the people some of the 
Time ; but you can't fool all the people 
All the time! 

Seward. 
You wean us from ourselves, and almost 
Make us noisy partisans of your most 
Worthy cause. 

Lincoln. 
He, who is slow to espouse this cause, 
Is fashioned of the stuff that cynics 
Are made of. Why, every bondman, in his 
Own heart learns the right to cancel 
His captivity : nor stony hearts or 
Laws writ down in error, nor airless 
Prisons or cruel thone-s, can subjugate 
Men's spirit; but freedom grown weary 
Of these puny bars, never lacks power 
To dismiss them : if we know this, then 
Let's tell it to the world besides ; that, the 
Part of tyranny which we forbear 
We can shake off at pleasure. 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



97 



(The members of the Cabinet clap their hands and 
cry : "Bravo." "Bravo." 

Seward. 
In ages yet to come, full often will 
This instrument be glorified ; by people 
Yet unborn, and language yet unknown. 

Stanton. 
And wherever this shall be, Abraham 



Lincoln will be known to have set the 
Slaves at liberty. 

Lincoln (waving paper in the air.) 
Then by this Proclamation, given under 
My hand and seal, I hereby set those 
Colored bondmen free. Let Emancipation's 
Flag be now unfurled, and thus proclaim 
It to the world. 

(Curtain.) 



ACT IV 



Scene I. Appomattox^ Va. General Grant's tent. 

(Generals Meade, Warren, Parke, Humphries and 
Wright, gathered around a table, with lighted 
candles, studying plans of battle.) 

Meade. 
Now gather close about this taper, and 
Let us arrange for our necessities. 
Here are the plans for this day's battle; 
And methinks they fairly bristle with 
Dangerous and war-like stratagems. 

Warren. 
The rough and deadly elements of war 
Are here set down with mathematical precision. 

(Sounds of marching soldiers are heard, and a cry of 
"Halt." Then enter General Sheridan, the 
Generals salute. 

Sheridan. 
President Lincoln has arrived and also 
General Sherman, whom you know were 
To come here to meet General Grant 
In a grand Council of War. 
Meade. 
You bring great news ; the trumpet itself 
Grows hoarse that welcomes such illustrious 
Guests to our presence: are they near by? 

Sheridan. 
We may expect them momentarilv. (Flourish.) 
And here they are, even as we talk of them. 

(Continued flourish, and enter President Lincoln 
and Generals Grant and Sherman. They 
salute those present, which is returned, and then 
all bow to the President, and he bows in return.) 

Grant. 
Mr. President : the Chief Mag'istrate of 
This Nation : and Commander in Chief of 
Its armies, — we humbly desire to assure 
You of our continued devotion and respect : 
And in compliance with military custom. 
We salute you ! 

(The Generals draw their swords and carry them 
at present arms.) 

No empty toasts shall soldiers drink to-day, 
But great cannon, to the clouds shall speak; 
And the Heavens may happily respond 
With their still greater thunder. 

(Cannon are heard.) 



Lincoln (taking sword). 
Behold this weapon: a graceful instrument, 
Yet potent in destruction ; by this tiny 
Steel have nations been subdued, rebellion 
And insurrection quelled ; but 'tis not 
The blade, but the master MIND behind it ; 
In itself a trifle, but taking sorcery 
From the trained hand, to overcome the 
Bold and put to flight the coward. 
Let us use it while we may, dexterously 
And well, for its proud empire seems doomed : 
Shining bauble, thou hast held thine own 
In the age of iron ; but this is the age 
Of reason. 

Sherman. 
Nations that live by the sword, shall 
Perish by the sword. All the pride, pomp. 
And circumstance of war. cannot deceive 
Or beautifv its hideous visage; for 
War is Hell ! 

Lincoln. 
Sherman, that sDeech should become historic. — 
But now to business : have you prepared 
The plans for this dav's movements of our 
Armies? (they hand him plans) 
Ah, I perceive you have ; and 
Here's a map, that very useful trifle. 
Whereby the vast contents of a country 
Are broufht within the comnass of ths 
All embracing eye. (To Grant.) 
Now Lieutenant-General Grant, 
Explain to me more fully the ample 
Proposition of which these papers speak. 

Grant. 
Phil. Sheridan will leave at once with 
Twenty thousand men ; and ere the tell-tale 
Sun has warned the unsusnectine foe, will 
Strike him in the rear; with us in front, 
It will be a case of the devil or the 
Many fathomed sea. Sherman, at the head 
Of the Union soldiers who streamed 
Into the enemies' country from the 
Great Northwest (like the stars in number^, 
Has fousrht a hand to hand combat in 
His march from Atlanta to the sea ; 
And now sits as conqueror in that city 
From whose harbor the first shot and shell 
Were sent booming across the startled 
Deep. He leaves here to-night to complete 
The enemy's discomfiture. 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



Lincoln (with enthusiasm.) 
Sherman, that daring movement of yours 
Is scarcely equalled by the great Napoleon's 
Chef d' oeuvre: the crossing of the Alps. 

Sherman. 
Commander: your eulogy sits smiling 
On my heart; but to my troops more 
Than myself this praise belongs, for they 
Have performed prodigies of valor. 
Bellona's bridegroom wrapped in armor 
Impenetrable to steel, never dealt death 
Around with greater gusto, than these soldiers 
From the farms and shops. 

Lincoln. ■ 
'Tis true ; those noble men have fought 
From morn to night, and only laid their 
Weapons down for lack of opposition. 
Proceed General. 

Grant. 
We will at once make a bloody assault 
Upon the confederate position ; the 
Rebels will seek safety in flight. 
As discretion is valor's most substantial 
Part ; finding the warlike Sheridan in 
The way, their timid souls will force them 
To surrender ; the war will cease, and 
Torn flap-s and dented muskets will adorn 
Our walls as monuments of this terrific struggle. 

Lincoln. 
May God grant that we may triumph in 
To-day's battle, and our victory be so 
Complete that smiling peace may spread 
Her rosy garlands through the land : but 
Defeat while not probable is possible ; 
What will you do in the case of repulse? 

Grant. 
You see this artery upon this map; 
Pursuing its sinuous way amidst the 
Cities, towns, rivers, valleys and 
Hills ; that line is the road to Richmond. 
We will fight it out upon that line 
If it takes all summer. 

(Curtain.) 



Scene II. — Appomattox. A road through the forest. 

(Loud alarms; enter Generals Lee and Gordon, 
leading their horses.) 
Lee. 
Mount, mount, Gordon, ride and give these 
Orders unto our legions. We must have parley 
With the enemy, to see what terms of peace 
Can be patched up. I have made an offer 
To General Grant, and expect an answer 
Shortly, that the war cease and both our 
Armies be used to enforce the terms of 
The military compact. If this fails we 
Must surrender, for we are in desperate 
Straits and bayed about with many enemies. 

Gordon. 
Why, surely things cannot be so bad, the 
Righteous cause hath always room for hope. 



Lee. 
The righteous, yes; but is slavery righteous? 
You know I held the great Napoleon, strong 
And his opinions, particularly wherein 
He said : "God is on the side of the greatest 
Battalions," now I change my mind and 
Credit omens and tokens which seem to make 
Appear, the side which hath the greater 
Right: coming from Bull-Run two mighty 
Eagles followed us, and refused to feed 
Upon the foe, who dead and dying lay as 
Numerous as the sands upon the shores 
Of the Potomac; all this day they've 
Hovered o'er our heads with frightful cries, 
As though the banquet they expected had 
At last been spread. 

Gordon. 
I'll away then with these orders ; a truce, 
Is the only tool left for present use. 
(Exit Gordon on horseback, followed by Lee, who 
leads his horse.) 



Scene III. — Appomattox. The Field of Battle. 
(T7V0 forts, at side of stage, with iron gates.) 
(Generals Hill, Gordon and Pegram, with staffs 
and colors, standing in a group on the stage; 
when enter General Lee.j 

Lee. 
Fates, we will soon know your pleasures : 
That we shall die sometime, we know ; what 
Matters then whether it be a few years 
Hence, or presently. Greatly outnumbered 
And practically surrounded, our lives hang 
On as slender a thread as the hair-suspended 
Sword over the head of the bound Damocles. 

Gordon. 
Shall we give orders for immediate battle? 

Lee. 
Yes, if General Grant turns a deaf ear 
To my overtures for peace : that we will 
Soon know ; and see, our messengers are 
Here already. (Messengers advance and salute) 
Now speak Messengers, what reply did 
The General make to our friendly and 
Pacific offices. 

Messengers. 
Thus, after greeting, spake General 
Grant: "I know your Commander, General Lee, 
To be a most finished soldier, a patriot. 
And an honorable man : in matters of 
Courtesy I take pleasure in anticipating 
His wishes ; but in affairs of war I insist 
Upon his immediate unconditional surrender." 

Lee. 
So, so; and what judged you proper 
To say for us in reply to this. 

Messenger. 
"Then take my General's defiance from 
My lips ; the mildest retort my embassy permits." 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



99 



Lee 
A dignified reply : now will we give him 
Fierce and bloody battle ; the thunder of 
Our cannon shall be heard at once : 
Let fire and smoke be the agents of 
Our wrath, and gloomy omens of our 
Enemy's decay. So hence at once to fight ; 
We will be victors or captives ere the night. 
(Exeunt, and the gates of the forts open, and the army 

comes out and follows.) 
(Enter two gate-keepers out of the forts, zvho patrol 
up and down keeping guard of the gates of the 
forts.) 

First Gate-keeper. 
This is a sorry job indeed, to keep open these 
gates. 

Second Gate-keeper. 
Not at all ; it is very wise : if our forces meet with 
disaster they rush in here and we close the gates ; also 
we close them if the enemy is seen approaching. 

First Gate-keeper. 
I do not question its sagacity, I mean that it car- 
ries no perquisites : now to be Porter of Hell-gate is 
a very honorable and also very lucrative post. 

Second Gate-keeper. 
How is that? 

First Gate-keeper. 
Rogues, who always seek to go there as quickly 
as possible, will bribe the porter to let them in, and 
when they grow weary of the fire and brimstone will 
bribe him to let them out. 

Second Gate-keeper. 
What class of men chiefly go there? 

First Gate-keeper. 
All classes ; but your rich man and your drunkard 
predominate. 

Second Gate-keeper. 
Why are the rich and the drunkard in the 
majority? 

First Gate-keeper. 
Dost confess thyself so ignorant. The rich, in 
the most cases make their money by violation of law ; 
absolute license exists in the infernal regions, there- 
fore they think it a profitable place. 
Second Gate-keeper. 
But how about the drunkards? 

First Gate-keeper. 
They are very much annoyed by inability to get 
liquor at all hours on the Sabbath day and between 
midnight and morning on week-days, so they pre- 
fer to go where there is no excise law. 
Second Gate-keeper. 
Ha ! ha ! I like thy wit well ; and in the chaff there 
is much wheat. 

(They resume their guard.) 
(Loud alarms, and the Confederates in full retreat 
pour across the stage and enter the gates of the 
Forts : excepting General Hill and his troops, 
which have been covering the retreat, they remain 
outside.) 



Hill (brandishing sword.) 
Thanks to our fortunate stars, all 
Survivors but ourselves are safe within 
The forts, where we must join them presently. 
There may we rest our beaten army, no 
Longer fit to fight ; and leave resistance 
To these stony walls that raise their jutty 
And abutted fronts, massive and high 
Against the foe. 

Colonel. 
Our men fought well ; so well that had courage 
Been the only thing at issue, the victory 
Had been ours ; but lack of numbers and 
Scarcity of food, spelt defeat even 
Before the fight began. But get we in! 
The enemy's upon us ! 

(The Union soldiers come rushing in. The Confed- 
erates under a fierce hand to hand combat get in 
the gates and close them, but General Hill is cap- 
tured; then enter General Grant and body-guard.) 

Gen. Parke (to Grant.) 
General, I think we have captured Lee. 

Grant. 
This is not Lee ; but I assure you a 
Rich prize nevertheless ; one almost as 
Great. — Let the trumpets sound a parley. 

(Trumpet sounds.) 

You, Sheridan, tell them our demands : 
Immediate surrender, or our shot and 
Shell thunder in- a circle, for they are 
All surrounded. 

(Trumpet sounds parley in answer from tvithin, and a 
Herald appears on the walls.) 

Herald. 
What would your puissant Commander with 
Us? I am empowered to hear and answer 
His demands. 

Sheridan. 
He asks that you lay down your arms, and 
Stop this bootless and unequal fight; 
Wherein your chances of success are as 
If Hercules should be beaten by his page. 

Herald. 
These frowning: walls will laus^h your siege 
To scorn ; and our stout hearts will make 
Amends, for what we lack in numbers. 

(Herald disappears.) 

Grant. 
Enough of words, proceed we then to deeds : 
Call in our men renowned in discipline ; 
Bring with you ladders to scale the walls ; 
All the arts and sciences of war that 
We have learned on many a bloody field, 
Shall be brought in play to capture the 
Remains of Lee's proud army, and plant 
The Stars and Stripes upon these works. 
(General activity on the stage under the motion orders 
of General Grant; some go out and return with 
more forces wUh ladders, which they raise under 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



fire from above, which is returned; the men scale 
the walls, hand to hand fight and victory; and oth- 
ers have battered down the gates, when a Herald 
bearing a white flag appears on the walls.) 

Herald. 
Our Commander disconsolately admits 
Defeat, and craves an immediate interview- 
To arrange the terms of a surrender. 

Grant. 
Halt ! shoulder arms ! 

Sheridan. 
Halt ! shoulder arms ; pass the word along. 

Grant (to Herald.) 
Now, let your Commander seek us here, 
We shall await his coming. 

Herald. 
You will find him in this, as in all 
Things else, the soul of honor. 

(Exit Herald.) 
(The Union troops line up on the stage opposite to the 
Forts and facing them, with Grant in centre of 
staqe. and Generals Meade, Sheridan, Warren 
and Parke near him. (Solemn march) and enter 
out of the gates of forts some Confederate troops 
that line up on the stage opposite to and facing the 
Union troops; then enter Lee and his staff, and 
Generals Gordon and Pegram. They all form 
a group near the group made by the Union Gen- 
erals. Grant and Lee shake hands.) 
Grant. 
The cries of faction and the noise of 
Strife cannot sever our life-long friendship. 
Cemented at Monterey and many another 
Battlefield in Mexico. Lee, we fought 
Side hy side for the same country and 
For the same flag. 

Lee. 
That pa?e has been indexed in my memory 
Because I love to con it o'er. Then 
Our country united by one common 
Impulse of patriotism strove to extend 
Her benig-nant influence to her less 
Fortunate neighbors. But now I tread on 
Horrors : the business that brings me 
Here to-day, rends my heart strings and makes 
Their mus'c discord : yesterday we were 
Antagonists : to-dav beggars, pleading 
For mercy to a victorious foe. 
We are compelled to surrender: give 
Us the best terms you can. 

Grant. 
Lee, you have great cause of sorrow, and 
Your evident distress touches me deeply. 
The conditions of surrender will be as 
Gracious as this enlightened Nation 
Ought to make with brothers who have been 
Warring with brothers, and seek to lay down 
Their arms, that general peace and amity 
May prevail throughout the land: each 
Officer and man to be allowed to return 
To his home and not to be disturbed 



By United States authority, so long 
As he observes his parole and the laws 
In force where he may reside. 

(Lee consults with his Generals, and then answers.) 

Lee. 
So be it: under these liberal and just 
Terms we capitulate ; the war is over. 
My soldiers return to their homes. For 
Myself, what is left? Farewell the aspiring 
Mind ! farewell the paths of glory ! I had 
Been happy if the general camp had stood 
Even without war; the tents dotting the 
Plains, camp fires ; the glad company of 
The forests, and sleeping under the canopy 
Of the stars. But the big wars : these make 
Ambition, virtue; farewell the midnight 
Bivouac, the shrill trumpet, calling to arms ; 
The neighing steed, beating drum, piercing 
Fife, battle flag; and the magnificent 
Evolutions of the well drilled troops. 

(Goes over to two cannon.) 
And, O you awful engines, whose rude throats 
The heaven's dreadful thunder counterfeit, 
Farewell ! Lee's occupation's gone. 
(Walks over to Grant, and with bowed head and de- 
jected mien, offers Grant his sword. Grant 
takes it and says: 

Grant. 
With the aid of this weapon you have 
Fought your way to the proud position 
Of the greatest military strategist 
Of modern times ; your country needs this 
Sword, but needs it in your hands. 

(Gives sword hack to Lee.J 
(Curtain-) 



Scene IV. — Richmond, Va. The Evacuation. 
(The Capitol huildinq at Richmond, Virginia; fires 
smouldering and indication of damage to building 
and to adjoining houses; noise of cannon and 
musketry now and then; men come out of the 
Capitol, and men, women and children come from 
houses, and run away; then enter General 
EwELL, and a colored slave, who is a fine speci- 
men of a young athlete.) 
EwELL. 
Slave, get on that wall and report to me 
What thou see'st; mv sight was ever near; 
To far off objects ineflfective. 

Slave (after climbing wall.) 
Why. the troops in grav are flving in p11 directions, 
and can it be? yes, a mighty mass of blue is march- 
ing directly to the Capitol building here. 

EWELL. 

Why, Richmond then has fallen ! They have 
Taken our Capitol, and the Confederate 
Cause is doomed. All the glorious things 
For which we fought, reduced to an epigram, 
Will stand upon the pages of history as 
The "lost cause" ! 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



Coward that I am to see my country 

Ruined before my face. In Alabama 

Wast thou held as prisoner for seeking 

From thy master to escape. I broke thy 

Bonds and set thee free, and thou did'st 

Swear by thy rude but honest conception 

Of a God, ever after to be my abject 

Slave. Come now, run this sword through the 

Body that holds thee in subjection. 

Thou wilt not ; then hold it whil'st I run upon it. 

Slave. 
General Ewell, you want to die on your own swoid 
like those antique Romans. In other words you are 
going to commit suicide, and you want me to help 
you. 

Ewell. 
Call'st thou such a patriotic act suicide? 
Come now, be a man ; there's none to call 
Thee to account. 

Slave. 
Yes, one above, whose all-seeing eye nothing 
escapes. He said : "Thou shalt not kill." Thou shalt 
not kill others, thou shalt not kill thyself. 

Ewell. 
Thou art right, slave ; 'though ignorant 
Uncultured and painted in a hue that 
Brings reproaches from the lips of men, 
Thy soul is quick to respond to the 
Master touch of thy Creator. 

(Ewell is clambering on the wall to get a sight when 
he is shot and falls at the feet of the slave. The 
slave bends over him with terms of endearment.) 

Slave. 
O, master ! worthy master ! speak but one word to 
me, or show some signs of life : still, quite still. So I 
am free, but would not so have bought my liberty. 
Oh, master ! far from this country your slave will 
fly, where these sad scenes will be forgotten. 

(Exit.) 
(Music is heard approaching (playing the Star Span- 
gled Banner), and enter General Weitzel and 
forces, and President Lincoln and crowd of citi- 
zens, women and children, some of them colored.) 

Weitzel. 
Mr. President : after picking our way through 
A labyrinth of death, abattis, earthworks, 
Rifle-pits and torpedoes, we stand at last 
In the heart of Richmond ; for behold the 
Confederate Capitol ! Within those walls 
Sat the Government that waged the bloody 
But unsuccessful rebellion against 
The Union. Citizens, make way, the good 
Abraham Lincoln, patron of virtue, 
America's best champion, successful in 
The battles that his armies fought : 
The country's utmost boundaries have 
Only circumscribed the power of his 
Sword, which brought to yoke the Union's 
Enemies ; now having felt the sternness 
Of his wrath, we taste the sweetness of 



His love : with honor and with fortune 

Is he come to take the cruel heel of 

War, from oiif your fruitful vines and 

Harvest fields, to pour soft ointment on 

Your wounds, and bind them with the soothing 

Bands of peace. 

(Great enthusiasm amongst the crowd, with cheers and 
joyful cries of "Long live Abraham Lincoln." 
Flags are held up, with shouts of "The Flag of our 
Union," "The Re-United States." One man raises 
a flag and shouts "The boys in gray and the boys 
in blue will fight side by side until death for you." 

(One old colored woman, an Aunty, holds a sick white 
child in her arms, who is frightened and crying to 
go home ; but the good negress tries to get the^ 
child to look at the President, which the child is 
afraid to do, so she turns the child's head, and 
turns around herself to accomplish her object, all 
the while singing : 

"See yeah, honey, look at the apostle, and you'll 

get well." 
"Touch the hem of his garment, honey, an' yur 

pain will be done gone." 
"Glory! Hallelujah," "God bress Massa Linkum." 
"Open the pearly gates." "I'se on the mount ob 

rejoicin." 
"Chariot of fire." "De mount ob transfigurashun." 
"My tribulations all done gone." 

(The spectators are much amused at this, finally the 
nurse gets the child to look at the President. The 
President smiles and the child throws a kiss at 
him, when the nurse withdraws it.) 

Lincoln (in response to cries for a speech.) 
My countrymen ! The Almighty has His own 
Purposes : for it must needs be that 
Offenses come ; but woe to that man by 
Whom the ofTense cometh. If we shall 
Suppose that American slavery was one 
Of these offenses, which in the Providence 
Of God must needs come, but having continued 
Through His appointed time He has willed 
To remove ; and that He gave to both North 
And South the late terrible war, as the woe 
Due to those by whom the offenses came ; 
Shall we discern therein any departure 
From those Divine attributes, which the 
Believers in a living God always 
Ascribe to Him. Fondly did we hope, 
Fervently did we pray, that this mighty 
Scourge of war might speedily pass away ; 
Yet if God willed it to continue, that 
All the wealth piled by the bondman's 
Two hundred years of unrequited toil 
Should be sunk, and that every drop of 
Blood drawn by the lash should be paid 
By another drawn by the sword, as it 
Was said of old, so still it must be said : 
"The judgments of the Lord are true and 
Righteous altogether." 
With malice towards none, with charity 
For all ; with firmness in the right as 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



God gives us to see the right, let us strive 
To finish the work we are in : to bind up 
The Nation's wounds, to care for him who 
Shall have borne the battle, and for his 



Widow and orphans, to do all which may 
Achieve and cherish a just and lasting 
Peace among ourselves, and with all Nations. 
(Curtain-) 



ACT V 



The Fate of the rival Presidents. 

Scene I. — Irwinsville, Ga. A country road. 
(A storm with thunder and lightning; enter KentonJ 
Kenton. 
Awful ! sublime ! these mighty forces have 
Full sway, and man looks on astounded. 
Let the great God, who makes this thunder 
In the skies, find out the wicked now. 
Tremble, thou wretch, whose blanched cheek 
Denotes a heart conscious of undivulged 
Crimes, unknown to justice: homicide, hide 
That blood spattered hand ; adulterer, thy 
Illegitimate progeny : and thou accumulator 
Of quick wealth, who under covert and 
Convenient scheming has preyed upon 
Thy fellows ; worthless promotions, watered 
And manipulated securities, intemperance, 
Monopolies; cowards, to pieces shake, {thunder), 
And make restitution before you are 
Summoned to this dreadful Tribunal. 
(Enter a farmer.) 
Farmer. 

Who's abroad in this foul weather? 
Kenton. 
One whose mind is like the weather, in 
A tumult. Have you seen a poor old 
Man, almost akin to a tramp, moving 
About here? 

Farmer (aside.) 

He may be an officer looking for President Davis, 
for Davis said in his letter to me that he would seek 
shelter at my farm-house, disguised as a tramp, 
No, I have seen no such man; who is he? 

Kenton. 
He is my best friend : a man wedded to 
Calamity ; who from the loftiest position 
In the land has been forced to counterfeit 
The beggar and the vagabond ; a commander 
In chief of the nation's armies, humbled to a 
Paltry two thousand men, who have 
Now deserted and left him alone (save 
For his faithful wife and a few friends). 
A fugitive from justice and a renegade, — 
So called by the mad mob who clamor 
For his life. 

Farmer. 

Why these sad details tally with and must mean 
no other than our honored President, Jefferson 
Davis, a man whom I love, and who sent me word 
that he would seek an asylum at my farm-house. 

Kenton. 
Is it so, friend? give me thy hand, I 
Thank my stars for this good piece of news. 
Come, we will look for him together. 
(Exeunt.) 



Scene II. — The same place. A forest. Storm con- 
tinues. 

(Enter a fool, attired in a motley suit.) 

Fool. 
Oh, this water, it is decidedly wet. It is not Holy 
water, for it could not be used in churches to 
sprinkle the face with, and yet it is wholly water, 
for it containeth not a particle of dryness. I will 
gather some fagots and start a blaze. (Exit.) 

(Enter Davis (disguised as a mendicant.) 

Davis. 
Blow, winds, and split the trees; fall, rain. 
Till you have drencii'd our bodies, drown'd 
The fields, enraged the cataracts and made 
The rivers Hoods. You sulphurous and 
Fiery lightning, and you, all shaking 
Thunder, blind the eyes and crack the hearts 
Of these ungrateful men (shows great distress). 
Still rumbling ; spit fire, spout rain ; nor 
Wind, rain, thunder, lightning, were my 
Subjects: I tax not you, you lofty elements 
With desertion ; you never gave me kingdom, 
Called me ruler : you owe me no allegiance. 
And yet I call you servile forces ; that 
Do with an ungrateful country join, to 
Persecute a head so old and white as 
This. O ! O ! 'tis foul. 

(Enter fool.) 
Fool (clapping his hands.) 
Bravo ! A well constructed speech, and spoke 
like a true actor. Thou railest on fortune in good set 
terms, and to whom : to thine own egotism, to a mot- 
ley fool, and to the elements; a most unappreciative 
and unprofitable audience. 

Davis. 
Who art thou? and why arrayed in this 
Peculiar garb, which smacks of the courts 
Of by-gone Kings? 

Fool. 
One, who hath been a courtier, and growing tired 
of playing the fool, in a dress suit, hath donned the 
liveries of the clown. ,i 

Davis. 
To whom have you played courtier, in this 
Land of republican institutions? 

Fool. 
To the Kings of Finance, the Kings of Politics, 
and the Kings and Queens of wealthy society. Now, 
who art thou who hast taken thy reduction to beg- 
gary so much to heart? 

Davis. 
I am a man, fool, so steeped in misery 
That even thy droll sayings can bring ,. 

No solace. i' 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



103 



Fool. 
Is thy foul disease organic or habitual? Has na- 
ture given thee imperfect machinery, or hast tliou 
abused that machinery? Are thy habits lewd, intem- 
perate, lustful or avaricious? Art a gourmand or a 
glutton? With what brands of wine or liquor dost 
thou and thy boon companions wassail the night 
away ? 

Davis (laughing.) 
You speak so sagely of illness, that you 
Must be learned in physic. Tell me this : 
Can'st administer to a diseased mind? 
For there lies all my cause of sorrow. 
Fool, I am one who occupied the most 
Exalted position in the gift of my 
Country, and now looked upon with 
Indifference ; nay, hunted down like a 
Common felon : turn thy glances there. 
Patience, thou young and rosy cherubim ; 
Ah, there, even thou showest despair. 

Fool. 
It seems thou hast learned to love the mad shouts 
of the multitude, the fickle multitude, better than the 
approving voices of thine own conscience. 

Davis. 
I exercised my functions in a palace, and 
When I walked was greeted with general applause. 

Fool. 
If all thou aim'st at is to strut well, take a course 
of lessons from the rooster, in the nearest barn-yard. 

Davis (contemplatively.) 
General-in-chief , too ; mighty armies 
I moved, like the chess-player moves his men. 

Fool. 
The checkmate thou hast received shows thee to 
have been a miserable player; the execrable use of 
thy pawns hath left thee nothing to pawn. 

Davis. 
Fool, you are wiser in this clown's part 
Than ever as courtier : from this day I 
Abjure forever the state of Ruler; 
And as a hermit, anchorite or recluse, 
Will end my days in exile and in poverty. 
To be condemned as I am is better than 
To have the axe suspended for a while 
By flattery ; to be at the bottom of the 
Ladder is better than to be at the top 
And fall. Come then, thou stormy fortune; 
The wretch whom thou hast blown unto the 
Worst has nothing to fear from thy blasts : 
But who comes here ? 

(Enter Kenton and Farmer.) 

Kenton. 
We have run upon somebody at last. 
That grotesque suit provokes laughter. 
And the other, a thing of shreds and patches : 
Why, this must be the President. (Approaching.) 

Davis. 
Ah, Kenton, you have arrived? 



Kenton. 
Yes, an unavoidable delay prevented me 
From being here to meet you, for which 
I crave forgiveness. 

Davis. 
And this gentleman? 

Kenton. 
Is the farmer to whom you wrote the letter. 

Davis. 
Friend, I am glad to meet you; and 
Let me thank you in advance for your 
Kindness and trouble. 

Farmer. 
I revere you and your character and life ; labor is 
still labor, but being congenial it antidotes the pain. 

Kenton. 
We have been seeking you and have strolled 
Far away from the farm-house ; but it 
Will not take long ; come, let us go. 

Fool. 
Gentlemen : before you go you must partake of 
some refreshment. My quarters are not sumptuous, 
for I live in that cave, nor my food epicurean, con- 
sisting chiefly of spring water and berries. The flesh 
must be mortified, even though, as sometimes fol- 
lows, the feelings suffer mortification also. I seek to 
remove that vile lecherous flesh which hath accumu- 
lated from partaking of rich wines and choice viands 
at all hours. And see. Gentlemen, is not the result 
gratifying (shows that his clothes are much too large 
around stomach), do I not dwindle? do I not grow 
thin? {Davis, Kenton and Partner laugh heartily.) 

Kenton. 
Your kindliness we receive with thanks, and 
Regret much that we are unable to enjoy 
Your hospitality. 

Davis. 
O, come, let us go in and look the 
Cavern over ; and at least drink of the 
Refreshing spring water. 

(Led by the Fool, they all enter the cave.) 
(Enter three soldiers.) 
Sergeant. 
Well, it is evident that this slippery rebel is not 
hereabouts, and so I told the Captain when he divided 
the company up in squads of three men and sent us 
out scouring the country. It will be good for him if 
I don't find him, for this day's hard tramp has put 
me in no good humor. 

Soldier. 
What's the idea of sending us out to look for him 
anyway? There's as much chance of our running 
across him as there is to find a needle in a hay- 
stack. 

Sergeant. 
Well, you don't know it all, so close up. He's not 
around here, but he's not far away, because reliable 
word was received at military headquarters in Macon 
that he was seen a few miles from the village of Ir- 
winsville, and Irwinsville is near by 



104 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



Second Soldier. 
Hark, listen to those voices. Let's hide behind this 
rock. (They conceal themselves.) 

(Davis, Kenton, Farmer and Fool come out of cave.) 

Davis. 
Now, fool, for so I am forced to still 
Call you, in lieu of a better title, and 
One more in keeping with your wisdom 
And gentle manhood, accept our thanks 
Once more. We rest in the hope that an 
Acquaintance so profitably begun may be some 
Day renewed. 

Fool. 
Visit me again. Send in your card and I will 
grant thee an audience. If thou comest well attired 
I will view thee with suspicion ; if in thy present 
garb thou art sure of a royal welcome. 

Farmer (to Davis.) 
Now, it is better for your security that we seek 
shelter without further delay. The country is be- 
ing scoured for you by soldiers. 

Kenton. 
Come, let us move on at once. 

Sergeant (coming out with drawn pistol, followed by 
the two soldiers. 

Halt ! throw up your hands ! (Soldiers search 
them for weapons, finding none they are allowed to 
drop their hands) {Sergeant grabs Davis roughly) : 

So we've caught you at last, you rebel runaway ; but 
a fine chase you gave us, gallivantin' about the 
woods, sometimes as a tramp and sometimes as a 
woman. 

Kenton (to Sergeant.) 
You hound, are you so ignorant as not 
To know that such as you approach this 
Man, only upon their knees. (Sergeant makes a 
wicked pass at him). I shall report your brutality 
To General Wilson, in command at Macon. 

Sergeant (a little scared.) 
Well, I have done no more than my duty. Bring 
this man along; I will go before and tell the news 
to the Captain. (Exit Sergeant.) 

Davis. 
From President to prison. Oh ! God ! 
This is an extreme which almost leaves 
Me voiceless with despair ; and from the 
Dungeon, where ? to death ? Come then death 
And welcome, for life ; these strange mutations 
Make us hate thee. 

Soldier. 
Do not take on so, sir ; the sergeant is rough, that's 
true ; but he's not a bad sort after all, good at heart. 
We'll use you right, we know what belongs to you; 
and as for the prison, don't worry about that; you 
won't have to stay there more than a year or two, for 
I heard General Wilson say that you would be con- 
fined in Fortress Monroe, and after the public clamor 
had died away you would be released. 



Kenton. 
That is true, Davis, every word of it ; 
For I have received letters from men 
In Washington and they say that the 
Members of Congress are most all in favor 
Of your incarceration in Fortress Monroe 
For a short time : so good-by, and 
God bless you ! (Davis is led away.) 

(Curtain.) 



Scene III. — Washington. The White House. Presi- 
dent's study. 

Lincoln, seated by lamp; Enter Mrs. Lincoln. 

Mrs. Lincoln. 
Reading? I will not ask you what you read, 
It must be good, for you look so comfortable. 

Lincoln. 

I have been reading a strange article, written I 
should judge by a dispeptic and a rank pessimist; 
very funny, for the satirical rogue says that a great 
man's memory will not outlive liim half a year, un- 
less lie builds up evidences around him while he 
lives, of being the bequeather of great wealth at his 
death; (laughing)' though I hold it not wise to have 
the matter so plainly set down, yet I cannot dispute 
its truthfulness. 

Mrs. Lincoln. 

It is rather a blunt way of attracting attention to 
human frailties. But, listen, I have a surprise for 
you, and I want you to be good and promise to go. 

Lincoln. 
Go ? go where ? 

Mrs. Lincoln. 
Do you see these? They were just given to us, box 
tickets for to-morrow's performance of "Our Ameri- 
can Cousin" at Ford's Theatre ; what do you think of 
it? do you want to go? I think it would be perfectly 
proper, and besides it will give your mind a much 
needed rest. Our friends think we should go by all 
means. 

Lincoln (with boyish enthusiasm.) 
That will be a treat indeed. I should certainly like 
to go ; (hesitating) provided that those think it pro- 
per, who are better posted on the proprieties than I 
am. 

Mrs. Lincoln. 
Well, we will talk it over further with our friends. 

(Exit Mrs. Lincoln. Enter Thomas, the son, who sits 
on sofa.) 

Lincoln. 
Well, Tad, my boy, I suppose that you have come 
to give me your daily report of your studies and your 
sports. Now, go ahead, let me hear how you made 
out at school to-day. 

Tad. 
Well, Father, this is what YOU would call an off 
day. I'm just simply discouraged, that's all, I can't 
see any hope. 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



105 



Lincoln (smiling.) 
Why, my son, you have been getting along very 
nicely, ana have so expressed yourseit trom day to 
day, with nov/ and then only a little temporary set- 
back. VV hat's wrong to-day .'' 

Tad. 

Why, that grammar, it's as slippery as an eel; 
when you thmK you've got it pat it sups out of your 
head and you haven't got it at all. 1 he nouns, pro- 
nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, con- 
junctions and interjections get all twisted up in 
your head, and you don't know 'em when you meet 
'em. 

Lincoln (laughing.) 

Well, Tad, that is an experience that we all have 
been through, and it is folly for any one to belittle it 
or make lignt of it; but cheer up, my lad, for al- 
though the wisest men in the world have never been 
able to entirely surmount this very dithculty, they 
have been fairly learned and successful men. Now, 
tell me of your sports? 

Tad. 

Why, Pop, what do you think, there is a new base 
ball out, 1 saw one of them to-day for the hrst time, 
they're as hard as a negro's head. Say, father I like 
those colored people, and would love to see them 
free ; but how are you going to get anything into their 
heads when they are so hard. 

Lincoln (laughing heartily). 

Tad, although a LITI'LE hard to get it in, once in, 
it will be impossible to get it out. But seriously, my 
lad, the thickness of a man's head has nothing to do 
with what the man is. The skull is but a casket to 
Che brain, while thought is hrst inspired by the soul, 
then practically applied by the mind, the brain is 
only one of the mind's agents. Thought is awakened 
from within, the same as the milk grows in the cocoa- 
nut. Let us once fan the vital spark which God has 
implanted in the souls of these men, and it will grow 
into a glorious blaze. (Lincoln becomes enthused 
with his subject, and gets up and walks (meditating) 
he finally goes to Tad, and finds him asleep). Why, 
fast asleep ; I would it were my privilege to sleep so 
quickly. Thy youth has none of the knotty prob- 
lems that years bring to the minds of men, there- 
fore thou sleep'st soundly. (Lincoln sits down, takes 
a book, and soon the lighted lamp grows dim.) How 
ill this lighter burns ! Ha ! what is this ! 

(Boat appears on curtain.) 
I think it is the fever of my mind 
That shapes this wondrous apparition : 
This boat, sailing to an unknown shore. 
Thou hast no use or sound of voice, therefore 
Must speak, if thou speak'st at all, by 
Some peculiar excellence of shape. 
Or by the eloquence of thy adornments : 
Thy beauty's more than human, therefore 
Must thou sail to the Celestial shore ; 
And bid'st me be ready to go with thee : 
Although I am bathed in glory, like the 
Moon at the full ; that would be worn awhile, 
Not cast aside too soon ; yet am I ready, 



For I have tried to teach myself to say : 
Thy will be done. 

(Ship vanishes; and curtain.) 



Scene IV. — Washington. A street. 

(Enter Booth, Powell and other conspirators.) 

Booth (looking at watch.) 
Fifteen minutes to ten; and ten was the 
Hour set for our brave and glorious deeds : 
Powell, you will have to hurry to Seward's 
House, and see to it that you leave no 
Botches in the work ; let this be his 
Last night on earth; the rest of you quickly 
To the places assigned you; and on the 
Stroke of ten use your weapons with vigor 
And skill ; that the master spirits of this 
Monstrous tyranny may pass the Stygian 
Shore unto the realms of perpetual night. 

Powell. 
John Wilkes Booth — you need have no fear 
About our part of the job : for stony walls, 
Nor armed and most unusual vigilance. 
Can save our prey. 

Atzerodt. 
Shall no men else be silenced, but the 
President and Cabinet? There's Sumner, 
A most violent abolition orator; 
His silver tongue awakes the very stones. 
And makes them prate 'gainst slavery. 

Powell. 
Well urged, friend ; 'tis most proper that 
Sumner, one of the staunchest props of 
Lincoln, should not outlive Lincoln. 
His influence is great, and if he use 
It to the uttermost he will prove a 
Dangerous foe. 

Booth. 
Our course then will seem like vengeance; 
The swapping of evil for evil. 'Tis justice 
We seek, not vengeance; when the great 
Brutus did the Tarquin stab, 'twas love of 
Country that impelled the blow. Let's kill 
This man as a physician would treat some 
Humor of the blood ; who finding a foul 
Disease, administers the soothing antidote: 
So will our weapons purge the blood-politic. 
Of its leprous reproach. 

Powell. 
Away then! to action! for by delay 
Many great resolves have fallen to decay. 
(Exeunt, with covert examination of weapons.) 



Scene V. — Washington. Exterior of Ford's Theatre. 

(Front of the theatre faces the audience; large sign 
up at one side marked "Stage Entrance." It is a 
few minutes before ten o'clock P. M., and there 
are some loiterers hanging around, some go and 
some come ; a new-com,er asks "What is going on 
here to-night?" another answers, "Why, don't 
you know? President Lincoln and family are at- 



io6 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



tending the performance of 'Our American 
Cousin,' " then another says, "Let's stay until he 
comes out-" Other similar talking goes on.) 

(Enter Booth, stealthily and muffling up face.j 

Booth. 
Abraham Lincoln; sits in this theatre 
Witnessing a comedy ; utterly oblivious 
That he this very night is to play 
The leading part in the greatest tragedy 
Of modern times : the tyrant, grown 
Arrogant, falls before the arm of a weak 
But determined man ; myself ! 

thou, little stage ! upon which in 
Compressed form the tragedies of life's 
Great stage are acted ; temple of Thespis ; 
Often have I trod thy boards with treacherous 
Murder in my eye ; imaginary murder ; 
Aimed at some wicked King; whose subjects 
In rebellion raised, have chosen me 

For their deliverer : or as a Knight ; 
Beauteous in aspect, and attired richly 
In a scarlet cloak guarded with gold, 
Have I to some fair maid dedicated 
My fortunes and my sword : with fixed 
Face, impressive gesture and deliberate 
Gait, moving towards my design like a 
Ghost; the victim falls, and I am seized 
And bound : breaking from these hirelings, 
O'er his dead body I thunder forth the 
Beauty of the lines ; a set speech by 
The immortal poet. Thus does Caesar bleed 
In sport ; but at contrived murder, 
Premeditated and malicious, my soul 
Sickens. Oh, you horrid agencies that 
Influence mortal thought, fill me to 
The brim with your infernal suggestions, 
That my mind see not the ghastly wound 
It purposes, and sophistry delude me with 
The damning lie, that my country will 
Profit by this crime. Thou sure and firm set 
Floor, echo not my steps as I do walk, 
That these gaping fools may take no notice 
Of my whereabouts. I stay, and it's a doing, 

1 go, and it is done : (Clock strikes ten while 

he listens). 
The clock exhorts me ! hear it not Lincoln, 
For it is the hour, that summons thee 
Before the Supreme Power. 

(Enters the theatre.) 

(Two citizens, talking, standing apart from the 
others.) 

First Citizen. 
Hark ! did you not hear a sound ? 

Second Citizen. 
There is more or less noise all the time in a place 
like his. To what particular thing do you refer? 

First Citizen. 
A hoarse whisper ! The soughing of a disem- 
bodied spirit. I am strangely wrought up to-night 
— a nervous foreboding of coming evil : the wind 



seems to sob and moan, and see ! the lightning bolt 
has struck, but the thunder drum is muffled; so are 
the loud voiced instruments made mute, when 
playing for the dead. (Commotion in theatre-) 
Hark! what noise is that in the theatre? 

(Booth staggers and limps out of the theatre by the 
stage entrance, followed by mob, crying "Stop 
the assassin," "Shoot down the scoundrel," 
"Stop him; don't let him escape." People also 
come out of the front entrance of theatre, and 
join in the cry. Booth, with a pistol in each 
hand, backs away followed by the mob; when he 
reaches the front of stage he cries "Sic Semper 
Tyrannus," waving the pistols in the air. Some 
one pushes a horse through the wings, and mount- 
ing the horse Booth disappears.) 

(After Booth disappears there is great excitement, 
and more people gather. Talking goes on as fol- 
lows: "The President has been shot," "Who shot 
himf" "Is he still alivef" "Did the assassin es- 
cape?" Then a platoon of police come up, and a 
police sergeant conies out of the theatre and says 
to them:) 

Sergeant of Police. 
The President has been assassinated, and is lying 
at the point of death. Clear away this gaping 
throng as they are bringing him out of the theatre. 
(Lincoln is brought out on a stretcher and de- 
posited on the stage.) 

Sumner. 
This costly dust yet shows some sign 
Of life, which happily may grow by contact 
With the open air. 

Doctor. 
Stand well away, for this frail spirit 
Must be treated tenderly, or 'twill 
Take fright and fly away : and see the 
Tints of returning consciousness ; now 
He opens his lips, as if about to speak. 
Hush ! let's try and catch his every word. 
How fares your Excellency? 

Lincoln (faintly.) 
Ill fare, for this lead within me hath 
Little of nourishment ; but doth persuade 
The immortal part of me to quit a body 
So inaptly fed. (Groans-) 
Oh ! this pain doth wrack my body, to 
Its remotest part. 

Doctor. 
I pray your Excellency, be calm; and 
Speak only when it brings you peace. 

Lincoln. 
'Tis you must speak such words ; for you 
Must tell me that the Union's saved; 
And that our brave but mistaken foe, 
Have joytully laid down their arms; 
And now humbly bow at the shrine 
Of universal liberty. That the Nation 
Receives them back with open arms, love 
And general amnesty. 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



107 



Stanton. 
All this can I tell you and something more : 
For added to what you already know ; 
Johnson's surrender to Sherman, followed 
Swift upon Lee's to Grant, and all those 
Who raised their hands against the flag 
Are burning to swear allegiance; their 
Penitence is most marked, and shows itself 
So seated in their hearts, as to silence 
Contradiction. 

Lincoln. 
I thought so much, for my prophetic soul 
Could see no other termination to 
This war; the Judgments of the Almighty 
Are true and righteous altogether. 
Then in this atmosphere of supreme content 
Let me bid farewell forever to this world. 

(Dies.) 

(Doctor examines him critically, and. falls back bow- 
ing his head. They all understand and lower their 



heads also. The widow, convulsively throws her- 
self upon his breast, sobbing.) 

Stanton. 
Now he belongs to the ages! 
You that have been mute witnesses to this 
Chance; who know the worth of this great 
Man; in days to come while yet your very 
Souls are wrenched with sorrow ; draw your 
Breath in pain to present him aright 
To the dissatisfied. His life was noble, 
And the creative essences so mixed in 
Him, that nature seemed to say to all 
The world: this is a perfect man. 

(Curtain-) 

(The play ends with an impressive view of the re- 
mains of Abraham Lincoln, lying in state in the 
Rotunda of the Capitol at Washington.) 



OTOMIS 



THE INDIAN OF MEXICO 



DRAMATIS PERSONAE. 



Maximilian, Elmperor of Mexico. 

Don Antonio Morello, a Senator. 

Other Senators. 

Benito Juarez, President of Mexico. 

Rafael de la Torre, an Artist (noble and rich). 

Otomis, a General (an Indian). 

Alfredo, his Lieutenant. 

Manuel, his Chief of Staff. 

Rodriguez, a Young Mexican Grandee. 

Passapae, a Veteran. 

Prison Warden and Guards. 

A Priest. 



Brushy, an Artist's Factotum. 

Esmeralda, Daughter to Don Antonio. 

Melissa, her Maid. 

Perdita, a gay Friend of Alfredo. 

Magdalal 

Salome }■ Artist's Models. 

Eulalie J 

Nobility, Ambassadors, Church Dignitaries, Courtiers, 

Citizens, Soldiers, Officers, Couriers, Secretaries, 

Conspirators, Attendants, etc. 

Scene — The Capital of Mexico (Mexico City). 



ACT 1 



Scene I. — Mexico City, Mexico. A Street. 

{Enter Alfredo and Rodriguez) 

Rodriguez: 

And you, Alfredo ; my friend, my second self ; 
who hast had my pocketbook, as though the 
leathern thing were thine, shouldst know of this, 
and keep it from me. 

Alfredo: 'Sdeath, rude Rodriguez, 

you wrong me deeply : — I never dreamed before, 
that the dusky Otomis, had the slightest chance 
with Esmeralda. 

Rodriguez: Well, we have no time, now, 

for altercation. Here is the grand casa 
where her father lives : — I'll call him forth. 

Alfredo: 

Do ; and color your speech with like timorous 
accent and dire yell, as when at night, the 
negligence kindled fire is spied in populous 
cities. 

Rodriguez: What ho, Don Antonio! awake, arise! 

Alfredo: 

Senor Antonio, look to your cage: the door 
is open and your daughter flown! 

{Don Antonio appears at a window.) 

Don Antonio: Ho, there 

what is the reason of this bold disturbance? 
How dare you two gallants, full to the brim 
with insolence and wine, start my quiet. 

Rodriguez: 

Don't you know me, Senor? I am Rodriguez. 

Don Antonio: 

What, you here again? If you cannot take 



Rhythmic prose composition that is arranged into lines of 
>f syllables, although these lines do not begin with capitals, is 
oratorical and dramatic, and its salient features are grasped 
Fividly, than ordinary prose that has no limitation but the 
and where words are often hyphenated 



an equal number 
made much more 
more easily and 

____ _dth of the page, 

the regularity of the colunm. 



This it seems might be properly designated "Rhythmic metrical prose," 
tradistinction to Poetry, Blank verse, or Prose. 
"OtoiniB" ia written entirely in this style. 



In 



my daughter's hints ; the kindest way to say 
that you are an unwelcome suitor; then take 
my plain words : my daughter is not for thee, 
but for Rafael de la Torre. 

Alfredo: If you do not 

rouse your minions, and at once pursue her, 
she will be the squaw of an Indian ; whose 
complexion looks just as coppery, despite 
the benefits of white men's clothes and 
cultivation : your grandchildren will be 
half-breed papooses. 

Don Antonio: Pursue her, sir; what 

do you mean? 
Alfredo: That your daughter has fled 

your house, for the sole and most unhallowed 

purpose of marriage with Otomis, the 

Aztec Indian. 
Don Antonio: You are a ruffian. 

Alfredo: You are 

a — grandee. 

Don Antonio: This outrage shall not escape 

punishment : I know you Rodriguez ; but your 
confederate I cannot distinguish by the 
moonlight. 

Rodriguez: Do not believe, senor, that we 
would be dare-devil enough to appear here, 
solely to mock and tantalize your highness : 
most fortunate, the news has come to us, 
that your fair daughter ; attended by a 
female jade of weekly hire, has left the 
shelter of your arms, to subject her pure 
self, to the sensual clasp of a savage : 
the immediate object marriage. Quick — 
satisfy yourself ; and if you find her home ; 
let loose on us the retribution of the law, 
for thus deluding you. 

Don Antonio: That your words, 

carry conviction, is attested by the 



108 



109 



beating of my heart: I will put you to 
the proof; remain here until I return. 

Alfredo: 

Now, when he comes out; read this letter, 
to him: and don't let on that it is mine. 

Rodriguez: 

Look, there are signs of commotion in the 
house already. 

Alfredo: Yes, the turning on of 

gaseous currents, has changed the darkness, 
into a blaze of light; the hurrying of feet, 
and hoarse murmurs, disturb the stillness. 

{Enter belovj, Don Antonio, and Servants with 

torches^ 

Don Antonio: 
The disobedient minx: who would be a father? 
O, my darling child ! gone she is : think you 
that we'll be in time to save her? 

Alfredo: I am 

quite sure of that, if you will follow 
our advice. 

Don Antonio: What can I do? I know not 
where they may be apprehended. 

Rodriguez: Senor, listen 

to the contents of this letter. (Reads) 
"Meet me at the old Franciscan monastery, 
opposite Don Antonio's home, at midnight. 
The charming Esmeralda, will await me, 
at a nearby friend's : I am to wed her ; 
and want you for a witness. — Otomis." 

Alfredo: 

If in warning you, we stand convicted, 
of as great a sin as treachery ; it is 
all my doing. 

Don Antonio: Your very good motive, 
justifies your act. But, tell me— you 
have not yet met Otomis? 

Rodriguez: Not yet: it lacks 

a few minutes of the hour. 

Don Antonio: The saints 

be praised! then Esmeralda will be snatched, 
from the hands of the despoiler: when he 
appears, he shall be arrested. 

Alfredo: That is 

your only course, senor : and to that end, 
you can conceal your forces in the grim 
shadows of yonder monastery. In order 
not to arouse his suspicions, we will 
remain here ; and when you return, will join 
in as though just arrived. 

Don Antonio: So be it. 

Away then, to execute the plan. My peers 
of the state, will acquit me of all blame: 
for if such vagabonds may have action free, 
our state will soon be turned to anarchy. 
(Exeunt all but Alfredo and Rodriguez) 

Alfredo 
Don Antonio is a member of the Junta : 
and hath a potent voice within that body: 



may he so vent his bile to them ; that 
to-night's outrage, will cost Otomis 
his place. 

Rodriguez: Otomis appointed you to your 
present office; and yet you dislike him: 
why is this? 

Alfredo: Dislike — is too mild a word: 

I hate him !— Three grand ones of the City, 
oft doffed their sombreros in personal suit, 
to President Juarez, to make me Generalissimo: 
and by the ringing of an oath ; I know 
my worth : I am fitted for the place. But 
Juarez, full of bombastic pride over 
his own military glory, derides my claim 
to skill and prowess, in a pedantic 
discourse on the technique of battle, 
filled with a horrible misuse of the 
epithets of war: and in conclusion, nonsuits 
my mediators ; saying : "I have already 
chosen Otomis." 

Rodriguez: Why you are only twenty- 

seven : perhaps he deemed you too young, 
to be in supreme command of the army. 

Alfredo : 

Otomis is only thirty : three years my senior : 
and besides, I am a better soldier. 
Mere striplino-s when the hi? war with the 
United States broke out, we both enlisted : 
and boys we were, yet did some desnerate 
deeds of valor. The war over, I remained 
in the army : for that I had learned to love 
the clink and flash of swords ; and more, 
I must confess, on account of a natural 
cruelty, which makes me gloat and glory 
at distress. Otomis too continued a soldier; 
and we rose step by step, until now, some 
ten years later, we are rival aspirants 
for Generalissimo : that, damn him, he hath 
gained. 

Rodriguez: Ah, I see you have that quality, 
which in some degree afflicts every man: 
you are envious. 

Alfredo: Call it what you will: 

it burns within me, and will yet be his 
undoinsr. You had best leave me, now: he 
may appear at any moment: after the arrest, 
you can join the throng as if by accident. 

Rodriguez: 

I will do so : farewell for a while. (Exit) 

Alfredo: 

I did not tell that snioe, that I was 
madly in love with Esmeralda ; because 
the youne puppy adores her himself ; and 
being barred from the house by her father, 
I suegested to him that I carry her, tokens 
of his affection, in the shape of pearls 
and diamonds : which being sfiven me for 
that laudable purpose, I put in my pocket. 
Many loving words has he received in 
return for his costly gifts: not framed, 



110 



as he supposes, by her lips; but by 
my own. 

(Enter Otomis) 

Otoniis: Good Alfredo, you are on hand. 

You are as true as the damascus steel, 
in this good sword. Come, follow me. 

Alfredo: First 

let me tell you something that will make 
you as full of quarrel as a rattlesnake. 
Don Antonio has learned of your escapade, 
and with a few paid hirelings has gone 
in search of you. 

Otomis: How know you this? 

Alfredo: He 

stopped me on the street, and accused me 
of being in league with you. Although in 
the trade of war, we dare slay men : to give 
an enemy his quietus in personal spite, 
is held a murder. My natural iniquity 
is so great, and his chatter was so provoking, 
that two or three times I was on the point 
of stabbing him between the ribs. 

Otomis: I would 

not have had you done so, for the world. 
In taking his daughter without leave, I 
do him a grievous wrong. But there was 
no other way. 

Alfredo: But the magnifico is very 

powerful, and hath a voice, when he sees 
fit to use it, both to condemn and punish. 
You take his wrath too lightly. 

Otomis: Let him 

do his worst : President Juarez and the 
Junta ; cannot ignore my services. I have 
yet to learn, but should I learn that 
bravado is bravery, I will proclaim it. 
I got my life and being from the aborigines: 
and the deep voiced thunder, speaks to me 
more persuasive, than the murmurings of men. 
I love the gentle Esmeralda : — were it 
not so ; I would not put my savage, wild 
condition, into the art and artifice of 
civilized convention, for the whole worth 
of Mexico's mines. 

Alfredo: Hark! what noise is that? 

Here comes the troop that seeks you. There 
is yet time to escape : but you are obstinately 
brave ; you will not flee. 

Otomis: Not I — I shall 

remain and face them. 

{Enter certain Army Officers, with torches) 
What have we here! 
Some army couriers ; and my personal staff. 
In the name of all that's wonderful, what 
brings you here? 

Courier: A warlike fleet, from France ; 

has entered the harbor at Vera Cruz. 
As the Junta, sits here in Mexico City, 
the Capital, the news was sent here at once. 
I know not what it means; but it must bode 



grave doings ; for the President and Junta, 
are raised from their beds, and met already: 
and you was hotly sent for ; when not 
finding you at the barracks, we and your 
staff, have searched the city, only to find 
you now. 
Otomis: This is startling news: and to 

tell truth, interferes sadly with a gage, 
that I am in honor bound to keep : but my 
duty is plain, I will go with you : first 
allow me a moment's absence, to make excuse 
to one who waits for me. 

Manuel: All right, General ; 

when you return, we will start. (Exit Otomis) 
Alfredo, you are Otomis' lieutenant ; and 
second to him in command : and are with him, 
almost like his own shadow : — what brings 
him here? 

Alfredo: Manuel, vou are chief of his staff, 

and a warm friend, therefore I will tell you. 
He, (a most skillful strate9'ist) has been 
out-manoeuvered by a petticoat. 

(Re-enter Otomis pursued by Don Antonio and Serv- 
ants, and Rodriguez) 

Otomis:. Stand back, I say! 

Don Antonio: Lay hands on him, 

arrest the villain! 

Alfredo: What ho, a nieht assault! 

Draw, men, and defend your General. You, 
Rodriguez, I will have a thrust at you. 

Otomis: 

Put un your polished swords, for the night 

air will tarnish them. In the fierce drama 

of war and personal combat, I know my part 

so well, that I require no prompter. — 

Now, kind sir, what is your charge against me? 

Don Antonio: 

That you have corrupted and stolen away, 
my daughter : and but for this arrest, you 
would have married her. I require, for my 
protection, that you shall be taken before 
the authorities, and bound over to keep 
the peace : and furthermore that the Junta, 
as a fitting mark of their displeasure, 
shall remove you from ofifice. 

Courier: If you seek 

to bring the matter before the Junta, 
you can have your wish to-night. 

Don Antonio: It would 

be unfeeling to call them forth now. 

Courier: They 

are already in session. 

Don Antonio: You must be mad: 

they rarely meet at night ; and besides, I 
have not been notified. 

Manuel: It is true, senor: 

and see ; here come two couriers in search 
of you. 



Ill 



(Enter two Couriers) 

First Courier: Don Antonio Morello, you are 
most urgently summoned to an immediate 
meeting of the Junta. The welfare of the 
nation is in extremis. 

Don Antonio: The state in danger! 

that is grave news: I will go with you at 
once. But what is to become of my daughter? 
She is not safe while this redskin is at 
large. 

Otomis: Never fear: — I will follow you. I 
also am summoned. 

Don Antonio: Come on then : and the 

more pressing business once despatched ; 
you shall answer my charge of abduction. 
If a father's wrongs can my comrades sway, 
you'll be shorn of office ere the break of day. 

(Exeunt) 

Scene II. — Mexico City. A Council Chamber. 
President Juarez presiding, and the Junta in 

their seats. 

Juarez: Mr. Secretary, how many of our members 
are yet absent? 

Secretary: Only Don Antonio Morello. 

We have therefore much more than a quorum, 
and can proceed. 

1 Sen What serious business, 
hath called us out at midnight? 

Juarez: A telegram, 

from the Commandant at Vera Cruz. A fleet, 
of French war vessels ; great in numbers, 
heavy in ordnance, and filled with troops, 
arrived in the harbor of Vera Cruz, 
this afternoon. In spite of resistance, 
(not armed but verbal) the troops were landed; 
when the city fell into a great tumult ; 
and these soldiers, with their sympathizers, 
have complete possession. The cry everywhere 
is, "On to the Capital." The aim and object 
of this brazen foreign invasion, is being 
brought here by the Commandant's messengers ; 
who will reach us shortly. 

2 Sen. Methinks there 
is a sinster portent in this news. 'Tis 
known to you all, that the proud and rich 
grandees, hidalgos, cientificos : and in 

fact all that have not learned to love Mexico, 
for herself ; and who profited by the 
monarchial rule ; despairing of overthrowing 
the republic; have. formed a plot to seat 
a foreign Prince, on a Mexican throne. 
In this movement they have strong allies 
in the Clerigos — the purveyors of the 
Gospel. 
Juarez: Yes, we have heard of this ; and 
even heard that the expedition was sailing 
on the seas; but gave it little credit. 



3 Sen. 

In this dire extremity ; if what is feared 
indeed prove true; whom can we count as 
our friends ? 

4 Sen. The liberales ! — That great mass 
of patriot and loyal white men ; either 

native or foreign born : and besides we 
have nearly all the native Indians. 

Juarez: Yes, 

thank heaven, we have countless tried and 
true adherents. But here comes Don Antonio, 
and the valiant Indian. 

Enter Don Antonio, Otomis, Alfredo, Rodriguez, 
and Servants. 

What means this rabble, 
that follows at Otomis' heels as if about 
to take him into custody? 

Otomis: The magnifico, 

must answer that. 

Don Antonio: Servants — leave us; and 

return to your beds. (Exit Servants) 
Most Excellent, — ^that man hath done me wrong; 
which I at proper time will preach upon. 
Although my hot blood within cries out for 
haste, my private griefs must wait on our 
state afifairs. 

Juarez: Know then, that our beloved 

land hath been invaded by a foreign foe: 
and we must at once muster our army, 
to give them battle. Messengers with full 
reports are now on their way here. Our 
information is but meagre : to get all 
the news, and also to save repetition, 
we will await their coming. In the meantime, 
nothing can be done. — proceed Don Antonio, 
we'll listen to your charges. 

Don Antonio: My daughter, 

my only daughter! 

Juarez: Well, what of her? 

Don Antonio: This 

tender and dutiful girl, has left my roof 
to-night ; weaned away by the wicked sorcery 
of that man. 

Juarez: What, by Otomis! — We are sorry 

to hear this, for he is a daring and skillful 
soldier ; and we counted much on his help 
in this great crisis. What can you say 
in your own defense? 

Don Antonio: Nothing, but that it 

is true. 

Otomis: Nothing, Most Excellent, but that 
his daughter fled his house to meet me ; 
and under friendly shelter waits my coming. 

Juarez: 

Where is she now? 

Otomis: Alfredo, you best know 

the place where the old fortune teller 
lives, close to the Franciscan monastery: — 
Go fetch Esmeralda hither. (Exit Alfredo) 



112 



Don Antonio: 

Your worships, I ask that if he be proven 
red-handed guilty of the charge, you dismiss 
him from his office. 

Senators: We will, we will. 

Otomis: Then, 

by your leave, I'll spend the interim betwixt, 
now and the maid's arrival, in telling 
you as truthfully as though confessing to 
a Clerigo, the story of our love. 

Juarez: Speak on, 

brave Otomis. 

Otomis: If I except four last moons, 

wasted in amorous delights, my entire life 
since this form of mine has seven years growth, 
has been passed in feats of ambuscade and 
battle : and I shall little my defense promote, 
by making my own plea. But by your gracious 

pardon, I will at least attempt it. 

My ancestors were from the mighty Aztecs : 

who lived in Mexico, under Montezuma : — 

They were conquered by Cortes, and his 

Spanish conquistadores ; and their bodies, 

but not their spirits were crushed and 

humbled. The Aztecs have lived and fought, 

on the Tierra Caliente; or hot lands of 

the coast: where the poisonous reptile lives 

amongst the gorgeous flowers. From there roving, 

we fixed our dwelling place, and built our 

pueblos, on the vast elevated plateau ; known 

as the Tierra Templada; or temperate regions : 

where the climate is salubrious, and the 

rich soil rewards the toiling swain. And oft 

would we climb the lofty mountain peaks, to 

the Tierra Fria; or frozen zone: where all 

vegetation is wrapped in a white mantle, 

of eternal snow. Such rare descent I think 

entitles me to gain as rich a prize, 

even as Don Antonio's daughter. I asked 

her father's consent to wed her: was scornfully 

repelled : then planned to-night's elopement. 

Juares: "."'I 

Let not your emotion overcome you : proceed 
with the tale. 

Otomis: I met Esmeralda in the forest: 

where I love to go when away from duty. 
She, woman like, became fascinated by my 
glittering uniform ; and asked me of 
my battles. I ran through to her admiring 
ears, the famous campaign of the war with 
the United States: — Palo Alto, Monterey, 
Beuna Vista, Cerro Gordo, Churubusco, and 
Chapultepec ; and others equally glorious 
and sanguinary. I spake too of the treasures 
of Mexico, that I had seen, (whereof she had 
something heard, but not from an eye witness) 
of the great farming lands, where grows the 
golden grain ; of the variegated wood producing 
forests ; and quarries everywhere, whose bowels 
of gold, silver and onyx, had been dug out, 
leaving mammoth cavities. Such was the story; 



and of the barrancos, or deep ravines ; 
■ upon whose dizzy sides, the peasant hunts 
the chamois. All this Esmeralda heard with 
dilating eyes ; whose iris soon took on 
the hues of love. Upon this hint, I spoke; 
and with blushing cheeks she listened to 
my burning words. I told her that when wed, 
we would dwell in a Pompeiian palace, where 
the hanging rose gardens bloom all the year, 
and the fountains sparkle in the sun ; 
while from the terraces, are seen gleaming 
in the distance the cold peaks of the 
volcanoes. 

1 Sen. And she consented : — what woman 
looking on your handsome face and stalwart 
form, could do otherwise. 

2 Sen. I think my own 
daughter would have done no less. 

Juarez: Senor, 

come, you had best admit that this man 
will make you a good son-in-law; and that 
your child has made a most judicious choice. 
'Tis true he is an Indian ; but a mere matter 
of complexion, is trifling, compared with 
the corroded state of many white men's souls. 

Don Antonio: 

I tell you one and all, that I would sooner 
see my dauehter lyinsr dead at my feet, 
than to have her the wife of a savage. 
But hark! — the blare of a trumpet: that 
must be the bearers of the news you 
wait for. No more of my affairs, now. 

{Enter Messengers) 

I Mess.: Most Excellent President: and you 
members of the Junta. 

Juarez: You bring tidings 

from Vera Cruz : — we hang upon your words. 

I Mes.: 
We are sent to inform you that the French 
troops, are being prepared for a rapid 
march upon Mexico City, here. 

Juarez: The impudent 

and lawless horde : we will give them a 
warm reception. 

I Mess.: But they are great in numbers; 

and will surely beat down your defences, 
and enter the City in a few days. 

Juarez: What, 

enter our Capital ! How dare this hostile 
force, flaunt itself so proudly upon the 
soil of Mexico: what is their purpose? 

I Mess.: 

The monarchial party, and the clerio-os, 
entered into a plot with the French Emperor, 
to seat a scion of the house of Hapsburg, 
upon a Mexican throne. They brought him 
with them ; and he is soon to be proclaimed 
King. 



113 



Juarez: And this pseudo King; who is to rule, 
not by Divine right, but by the power 
of French bayonets ; who is he ? 

I Mess.: Ferdinand 

Maximilian Joseph : Archduke of Austria ; 
and brother of the reigning monarch there. 
His Queen — Carlotta Maria Amaha. 

1 Sen.: 

Can such a frighful danger, suddenly appear, 
and overhang us like a summer cloud, without 
arousing apprehension and alarm? 
Juarez: No, senor,- 

and furious anger too. But it will help 
us none to storm and rage : we must look 
the imminent danger in the face, and see 
what way there may be out of it. 

2 Sen.: If we 
remain here, we stake all on the defence 
of the City : if that falls, our Government 
falls. No, we had best remove the offices, 
and afifairs of state, to a safer place : 

to San Luis Potosi. 

Juarez: Well then, we will go, 

to San Luis Potosi ; and that \\ ithout delay. 
And you, Otomis ; we leave in supreme control 
of the Capital : and commission you with 
full power to further strengthen the outworks, 
around the city. Never capitulate until 
all hope is lost. 

Otomis: The tyrant duty, has 

changed my soft bed of down, for the rough 
and steel couch of war: yet I do gain 
such virtues, from doing hard things.; that 
I am moved to undertake them with a prompt 
alacrity. I gladly accept the post : and 
will sooner lose my life, than lose the City. 

Juarez: 

We like your answer well. Now we will 
wait until your ladylove appears ; to try 
and help her soften Don Antonio's heart : 
and then to bed, for an early start at 
sunrise. 

{Enter Alfredo and Esmeralda) 

Esmeralda {to Otomis): What, in this place, 
and surrounded by all these men ! C3, I feel 
that something dreadful has occurred 1 You 
promised to meet me, and I waited for 
you so long, that I grew sick with fear: 
and then Alfredo came and said that you 
had sent him for me. 

Otomis: Sweet one, be composed. 

By the blackest cloud, or fiercest wind, 
I swear; that my seeming perfidy, was 
really no fault of mine. 

Esmeralda: I believe you, 

and trust you. Tell me — what danger was 
it that beset you? 

Otomis: This is the council 

chamber of the Junta; and these Senators, 
constitute that body : they sent for me 



in haste : on my way to meet you I was 
intercepted by their messengers. 

Esmeralda: How idle, 

my frantic fears seem now; and all my 
jealous doubts. 

Otomis: Your father, too is here. 

Esmeralda: 

My father! — where? {DonAntonio arises from his 
seat in the Junta, and comes forzvard: 
Esmeralda clings to him) Can you ever, ever, 
foreive me and take me back to your heart 
a?ain : I am a willful, perverse, ungrateful 
child. 

Don Antonio: You are the very apple of my eye: 
and was hitherto my daughter: what you are 
to me in the future, depends upon how you 
amend your ways. Whose wishes shall you most 
delight to follow? 

Esmeralda: I do discern here a 

divided duty: — To be true to filial love, 
or love that springs from beauty. You did 
bep^et me, and raise me : to you I owe life. 

But I love Otomis better than my life: 

and he is worthy of such love : trust me, 
a woman's heart iudo-es clearer and truer 
than a father's wisdom. I looked beneath 
Otomis' color, which is but skin thick, 
deep down into his very soul, and there 
I saw such dazzling beautv, as when a 
cut glass chandelier, is lighted by electricity. 

I Sen.: 
This seems to be no passing fancy, but a 
rapture that will last forever. 

Don Antonio: Heaven 

help me, she appears to be as much bewitched, 
as I was in courting her mother. 

Esmeralda: You will 

let me be happy, won't you father? 

Juarez: How 

can you resist such a naive appeal, senor? 

Don Antonio: 

Well then, I do consent. {The lovers take hands) 
But this marriaee planned to-ri<Tht in such 
haste, shall be entered into deliberately. 
Not until the sie^e of the city is lifted, 
or the city falls into the hands of the 
besiegers, shall the weddine take place. 
She may repent of her choice: she may fool 
thee, as she has me. 

Otomis: My life upon her 

constancy ! 

Esmeralda: You know, father, that I had 
many rich, handsome and polished male 
intimates : so that I was not ignorant of 
what pomp the world has to give, when 
I chose Otomis. Thoueh this siege should 
part us for months, that I could ever be 
false to him — O, perish such an unnatural 
thought. 



114 



Juarez: We are all gratified, I am sure, 
to see this sentimental episode end so 
happily. The members will now disperse. 
{They gather around the lovers) 

I Sen.: Hark! hark! 

loud noises in the street — and somebody 

approaches. 

{Enter War Department Officers) 
I Officer: Our scouts, who were warned to be 

on the lookout for the advancing enemy, 

report that they have arrived in great 



numbers : and have begun to surround and 
hem in the city. The investment will soon 
be complete : and no communication with 
the outside world possible. 
Juarez: This is dreadful 

tidings. No wonder, Senators, that you 
are excited and agitated. Our only course 
is immediate flight ; if we are to succeed 
in the attempt to remove the Government, 
to San Luis Potosi. Away then ! — Best go, 
and lose a night's repose ; than wait, to find 
all exits closed. {Exeunt) 



ACT II 



Scene I. — Reception Room in Don Antonio's Mansion. 

{Enter Don Antonio and Rafael) 

Rafael: Trust me, senor, this is a very 

dangerous place, for you and your charming 
daughter. Why have you not left long since? 

Don Antonio: 

The Junta left more than a month ago: 
I, detained by some urgent business, was 
to leave the next day. The matter disposed 
of we started, but could not get through, 
as the enemy's investment of the city 
was complete. So here we are, and here 
we will have to stay. 

Rafael: You sent for me 

to come to you, senor: what is your wish? 

Don Antonio: 

I will tell you, Rafael. You know Esmeralda, 
is engaged to marry Otomis. — I am ashamed 
to mention that name, it is loathsome ! 
O, would that you had her : you are young, 
handsome, noble and rich : why did you not 
win her? You were always my choice. 

Rafael: Heaven 

help me, I tried to hard enough ; because 
I adore her : but she refused me. 

Don Antonio: But you 

was too timid: you should have persisted. 

Rafael: 

I did — in a very paroxysm of passion, 
I besought her favor : but all to no purpose. 
I'll pine away and die, if I cannot see her, 
and hear her voice, sometimes, even though 
she is married. 

Don Antonio: Pine away and die — that 

sad fate it seems is like to overtake 
my Esmeralda. 

Rafael: You don't mean to tell me, 

senor, that she is sick? 

Don Antonio: She begins to look 

almost as fragile as a lily : fretting much 
because the wedding day is in doubt. 

Rafael: But, 

why is it in doubt? 

Don Antonio: I artfully fixed it, 



so as to hang upon a contingency in the 
far off future: hoping that in the meantime 
she might be able to throw aside those 
occult and uncanny chains which bind her 
to the Indian. 

Rafael: Would to heaven that it 

might prove so : for had she not been madly 
infatuated with him, she would have been 
quick to accept my attentions. But this 
spark of hope may be quenched by her illness: 
you will be forced to relent. 

Don Antonio: I shall be, 

if that is the only way to restore her 
to health : but I will try another remedy 
first: not drugs, (I have only an apostate's 
faith in physic), but a sweet antidote to 
cleanse a torpid heart : get her interested 
in something else. 

Rafael: What do you mean, senor? 

I don't quite understand. 

Don Antonio: You are a rising 

artist ; a rich young nobleman, who paints 
for the love of it : I am going to have 
you paint Esmeralda's portrait :— will you 
do it? 

Rafael: Upon my soul ! I cannot imagine 
anything that would delight me more. Will 
she consent to pose for it? 

Don Antonio I think she 

may be coaxed into it, if my strong entreaty, 
is leavened by your professional enthusiasm. 
Here in happy time she comes; we'll broach 
the subject now. 

{Enter Esmeralda) 

Esmeralda: Why, Senor De la Torre, you here! 
this is a surprise, indeed. 

Rafael: What a joy to 

see you again ! But you are not well : 
or is it only a fancy bred of my over 
tense anxiety? 

Esmeralda: Father says that I am 

a mere shadow of my former self, and is 
much concerned about me. I don't seem to 
feel badly; but must confess to a certain 
lack of spirits. 



115 



Don Antonio: You are forever brooding 

over this dreadful siege : and some remedy 

must be found to take your mind off it. 

Therefore I summoned Rafael here, and 

arranged for him to paint your portrait. 

You are to go to his studio, and pose 

to him for it. 
Esmeralda: Oh, father, you cannot be 

in earnest, when you ask me to commit 

such an impropriety. 
Don Antonio: Impropriety: — far 

from it : it will interest you : it will 

prove a panacea for your worry: and that 

is all you need to bring the rose tints 

back to your cheeks. You will try hard 

to get well, for my sake, won't you? 
Rafael: 

You will not refuse, Senorita. I vow 

that the picture shall be lovely, and 

the likeness perfect : you will grow to love 

the work, before it is half finished. 
Esmeralda: 

But what will Otomis say? 
Don Antonio: There is a 

joy that knows no bounds, when sick ones 

that we love return to health. 
Esmeralda: Still am 

I in doubt — but rather than distress you, 

my consent I give, on one condition. 
Don Antonio: What 

is that? 
Esmeralda: I am to pose for this portrait, 

with the express and only purpose, of 

making it a surprise gift to Otomis. 
Don Antonio: 

But my dear child, that is whimsical and 

foolish. 
Rafael (aside) : Let her have her wish : this 

way is better than no way : besides, strange 

things may happen before the painting is 

finished. 
Don Antonio: However, my child, rather than 

have a hitch in this blessed work, we agree 

to your condition. 
Esmeralda: You are very kind 

Why I begin to enthuse over the idea 

already. 
Rafael: Now that this project has been 

so happily adopted, we will go to my 

studio and look at some portraits, that will 

aid us to decide upon the posture, dress 

and coloring. 
Esmeralda: Oh, not to-day. 

Don Antonio: Yes, we 

are going at once: I am very anxious 

to have it under way. Go get your wraps. 
Esmeralda: 

Come on — I won't detain you a moment. 

{Exeunt) 



{Enter Otomis and Alfredo) 

Alfredo: Ha ! I like not that. 

Otomis: What dost thou 

not like, Alfredo? 

Alfredo: Oh, nothing; and if 

anything, I hardly know what myself. 

Otomis: That 

was our friend, Rafael de la Torre. 

Alfredo: I at 

first thought so, but then I changed my 
mind, for that man stole away guilty like 
with Esmeralda, on seeing you come in. 

Otomis: 
'Twas he sure enough : and the fates defend 
me from the contagion of your suspicion: 
for Rafael was a rival aspirant for 
her hand with me ; and only gave up after 
a most gallant fight. Until the very last, 
my heart misgave me that he might carry 
off the prize. 

Alfredo : Indeed ! 

Otomis: But perhaps she 

loved me from the start, and my doubts 
were only a lover's anxious fears: — it 
may have been so. 

Alfredo: It may have been so, sir. 

Otomis: 
That answer, was my own words repeated: 
with a lurking vein of cynical skepticism, 
all thine own. 

Alfredo: All my own. 

Otomis: Come, what cause 

have you to cop-itate so, over this matter. 
Granting that this was Rafael who just 
left with Esmeralda; such an incident 
could only happen in good faith : he is 
an honorable man, is he not? 

Alfredo: Is he not? 

is he not? 

Otomis: By heaven! thou dost still but 

echo me. Standing there and parrot-like 
uttering some phrase of my speech that 
fits in with thy thoughts : perhaps, thoughts 
too hideous to be spoken. 

Alfredo: What man is there 

so pure, that does not at times invite 
lewd and lustful guests to sit with the 
chaste creatures of his mind, in meditation 
pleasant ? 

Otomis: Come, now, what is the deviltry 

thou thinkest to have uncovered ? 

Alfredo: ■ It is 

not for your peace of mind. 

Otomis: By my life, 

I will know what thou hast taken so 
to heart. 



116 



Alfredo: You could if my heart were a 

slave to your desires, but cannot while it 
is under my control. 

Otomis: Why will you not 

speak out? 

Alfredo: Virtue, in woman, dear my friend, 

is the very essence of their souls. 
In my garrulity, or over my wine, or 
sometimes to emphasize my wit, I make a 
covert allusion to some lady's chastity, 
and stab her in the back : while she being 
pure withal, is forever smutted by my 
ribaldry. 

Otomis: I like your fine sentiment, well: 

but what relevancy can it have it here? 
Upon my soul, your conduct is inexplicable : 
I begin to think that Esmeralda was 
right: — thou art jealous. 

Alfredo: (aside) She has revealed 

to him my passionate declaration of love, 
as I feared she would. — 
Ah, she told you that, did she? That looks 
like a cunning woman's attempt to destroy 
your confidence in me : it must be she 
dreaded I would tell you what I saw. 

Otomis: Ha! 

you saw something? 

Alfredo: To have seen something, 

does not necessarily mean that what was 
seen, was bad. 

Otomis: But you are a man who weighs 

your words, and such an expression from you, 
means much : — by heaven ! you torture me. 

Alfredo: 

General, beware of jealousy : it is the 
green-eyed monster : — and all the charming 
and complex coquetries of love, when scann'd 
by its baleful eyes, are viewed as nothing 
but the signs and symbols of premeditated 
sin. 

Otomis: 'Tis true : it is a disease which grows 
quickly. 

Alfredo: One need not be a cuckold, either; 

for when he finds he's wronged, he leaves 
his wronger : but O, what damned agony 
that fellow endures, who knows she's false, 
yet returns to her embraces. 

Otomis: O, misery! 

Thou torturest me ! (Aside) This true friend, 
doubtless knows much that he fears to tell. 

Alfredo: 

The contented poor man is not so badly 
off ; as the rich man who ever lives in 
dread of poverty: you can be poor in love, 
and yet be happy. May all your patron saints, 
forever keep your system free from the 
plague of jealousy. 

Otomis: Never fear. Thinkest 

thou that I will become a slave to Luna: 



and under her sorcery, fill my brain with 
crazy fancies, that change with the moon? 
No, — when I have doubts, I will prove them, 
or away with them. 'Tis naught against a 
woman, that she is vain, has many beaux, 
likes flattery, dresses, talks, sings, plays 
and dances well : these are all compatible 
with virtue. And when she loves : this great 
diversity of charms, is centered on a 
single object. 

Alfredo: Now that you talk so sensibly, 

I will tell you what I saw ; which I was 
loath to tattle of, because it seemed 
pure coquetry : but in another woman not 
so angelic, it would have been an action 
of prime lewdness. 'Twas thus, General: — 
I saw Esmeralda kiss Rafael. 

Otomis: You are mad! 

you must have dreamt that ! 

Alfredo: No, senor, I 

distinctly saw it not once but several 
times. 

Otomis: Perdition! — when was this? 

Alfredo: One night 

that I called hoping to find you there. 
But do not despair : we may yet rob it 
of its damning significance: it may have 
been, and probably was, before her vows 
were made to you. 

Otomis: What night? for mercy's 

sake, don't keep me in suspense! 

Alfredo: Just two 

nights before she left her father's house 
to elope with you. I am positive of that. 

Otomis: 
Why Alfredo, we had been plighted together, 
at least two weeks before that night. The 
sensuous jade ! Who would have believed it 
of her? 

Alfredo: Such cases are by no means rare. 
It is as difficult to have love without 
lust, as it is to have iron without rust. 
Many fair creatures in their young days of 
promiscuous loving; have loitered long, 
on the dizzy precipice of sin, without 
going over: and there are many happy 
marriages amongst those who have gone over ; 
but the doting husband never found it out. 
Ha, ha ! he that is robbed, not missing what 
is stolen, never gained much from the 
stolen property. 

Otomis: Horrible ! — I would prefer 

to be a prisoner, and breathe the foul 
vapors of a dungeon, than by marriage, 
receive my share of a licentious girl's 
caresses. O, misery ! what can be done 
to remove all doubt? 



117 



Alfredo: I have an idea. 

You may blame me for it, but I confess 
it is not in my nature to withstand 
a pretty face. Esmeralda has such a maid ; 
and I have already weaned myself into 
her good graces. I will call her in and 
question her; whilst you conceal yourself 
behind yonder screen : as she might not speak, 
before you. 

Otomis: I dislike to do it; but the 

end may justify the means. (Exit Alfredo) 
If I do find her strumpet, I'll tear her 
foul image from my bleeding heart, and 
flower it anew. Is it that I am dark, 
and have not those soft phrases of converse, 
that her countrymen have: or that I cannot 

adapt my mood to every passing fancy? 

No matter what : she's false ; I suffer ; and 
my only relief is to learn to hate her. 
O, curse of human love! If we adore these 
delicate creatures so, and make of them 
our idols : we must take them as they 
were made : — quite full of appetites. 

(Goes behind screen) 
(Re-enter Alfredo with Melissa) 

Alfredo: (whispers to her) And let all your 
answers to my queries, be damning proof 
against them : and speak out loudly, so that 
he there in hiding, can overhear. Give 
forth some wicked and malicious lies. 

Melissa: Oh, 

I don't like to go that far. 

Alfredo: If you refuse, 

I promise that I will break with you : but 
if you consent, our wedding may, mind I 
say may, take place soon. 

Melissa: Well then, I 

will do it for your dear sake. 

Alfredo: (loudly to her) Melissa, 

when do you expect Miss Esmeralda back? 

Melissa: 

I don't know. She went away somewhere, with 
Rafael de la Torre. He comes to see her 
very often. 

Alfredo: But what does he here? She 

is betrothed to Otomis. 

Melissa: What does he here. 

Why he receives her caresses: and that too, 
in such an open and farefaced manner that 
even the servants are shocked. 

Otomis: (behind the screen, aside)0, my 

inwards are on fire. 
Melissa: What was that? 

Alfredo: Nothing. — 

Well, this is amazing: and my soul weeps 

for Otomis. But how are these wanton acts, 

interpreted ? 



Melissa: 'Tis thought that Otomis is 

being used as a scapegoat, to hide an 
illicit love. 

Otomis: (aside) Hell and furies! 

Alfredo: Rafael has 

courted her long : why did she not marry 
him, if she loves him so? 

Melissa: Don't ask me why. 

Do you think that I can solve the puzzle 
of our sex ? Heaven only knows, the wanton 
pranks that these Mexican girls too, commit 
against those to whom they are bound by 
holy ties. 

Alfredo: Well chuck, you had best leave 
me now. A friend of the Senorita, waits 
for her return, and will soon rejoin me. 

Melissa: 

Are you not coming down to the servants' 
hall this time? 

Alfredo: Not this time, chuck. 

Melissa: I would 

not have you stay away long. 

Alfredo: I could not 

stay away long. (Kisses her. Exit Melissa) 

Otomis: (leaves screen) False to me, false 
to herself, ha! 

Alfredo: Leave off, I pray you, this 

tearing of your hair : no more of that. 

Otomis: Away 

with you, that have set me on the rack. 
By heaven I begin to hate you. 

Alfredo: Why, without 

my services, this awful secret would never 
have been revealed. 

Otomis: I tell you, some good 

service, is bad service. You might be a 
geologist, and bring me positive proof, 
that this crust of earth that men inhabit, 
would soon sink into the boundless sea : 
and I would curse you for that service ; for 
where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to 
be wise. Why did you speak of it? 

Alfredo: I did 

it very reluctantly ; as you yourself know. 
Why, there's no harm done: consider the 
story but as so much idle gossip, and 
take her to your heart. 

Otomis: No, by my soul! 

Her fair face formerly so sweet in my 
remembrance; now appears hideous to my 
imagination. 

Alfredo: Then forget her; and marry 

another : there's as good fish in the sea, 
as ever were caught. 

Otomis: Forget her: — great God! 

easier said than done. I, who without a 
tremor can face the cannon's fiery mouth, 
am too faint-hearted to even think upon 



118 OTO 

___ 

your most logical conclusion. I live but 

in her : without her is to die. 

Here she comes : — if she be false, then all 
things pure, are but mockery ! 

{Alfredo goes to one side) 

{Enter Esmeralda) 

Esmeralda: What, 

you here, my dear Otomis ! 

Otomis: Yes, yes, love ; 

I am here. 

Esmeralda: Why you answer me so faintly 
and strangely : are you not well ? 

Otomis: I have a 

pain here near my heart. 

Esmeralda: This horrid war: 

and all the nerve-racking duties it imposes 
on you. I fear that it will yet sap 
your health. 

Otomis: You have been out? 

Esmeralda: Yes, with 

father and Rafael de la Torre. 

Otomis: Hah! with 

Rafael de la Torre. Do you love him? 

Esmeralda: How 

could you ask me such a horrid question? 
You have wounded me deeply. {She turns away, 
and he embraces her) 

Otomis: Forgive me, forgive me, 

sweet ! — Perdition take my soul, but I do 
love thee : and when I love thee not, chaos 
is near. 

Esmeralda: Now you are like your own dear 
self. In regard to my trip out, it was 

taken solely because of my father's wishes : 

are you satisfied? 

Otomis: Beyond all question of 

a doubt. Now go take a walk on the lawn; 
and I will join you presently : I have a 
little business with a friend, there. {Exit 
Esmeralda: Otomis goes over to Alfredo) 

Otomis: 

Senor, I believe that you are a coward, 
and a liar. 

Alfredo It is a dangerous thing to 

apply such epithets to any brave man. 

Otomis: 

Why man, the innocent look out of her 
eyes, would prove twenty thousand devils, 
that assail her virtue, to be arrant knaves. 
The sight of her angelic face, cleared my 
brain of cobwebs, and proclaimed me dastard, 
to stand by and hear her fair fame smirched, 
and not resent it. You seek to make out, 
that a virtuous woman, is a strumpet: a 
deed to make heaven weep, the earth amazed: 
for nothing couldst thy miserable self, 
add to the world's stock of crime, greater 
than this. Defend yourself, for I am 



going to chastise you. {Otomis takes him 
by the throat, and throzvs him on sofa) 

{Exit Otomis) 
Alfredo: {rising) Is he a man? hath he sense 
and reason? To take me by the throat, and 
shake me as one would a terrier. I am 
not a dog, but a famous soldier; with 
only one star less on my epaulettes than 
he has. Hell blazes! but I will have his 
life yet ; I swear it ! But first let me 
see if there is not some way of breaking 
his heart through this woman ; and then wed 
her myself; for I love her. Ha, ha, a 
villain like myself is incapable of love : 
yet it cannot be downright lust either : 
though peradventure I may be guilty of 
as great a sin. I will plot and scheme 
to have him cashiered from the army ; 
and creep into his place there. It is 
all in my mind, but something yet confused; 
but hell's hounds run swiftly when they're 
once unloosed ! {Exit.) 

Scene II. — A Street before the Armory. 

A crowd of Men, Women and Children gathered. 

1 Male: When will this terrible siege be 
lifted? {Crowd yells) 

2 Male: Lifted ! — why never : 
we will have to surrender. 

3 Male: Indeed, all 
looks black, but is there no gleam of hope? 

2 Male: 

How can there be, when added to the foe 
without, we have the deadly foe within? 
The clerigos, and monarchial party, are 
secretly aiding the French. 

1 Female: Jesu! are they 
going to let us starve? our children will 
soon be without food. 

2 Female: That will they, sure 
enough : and none to blame but these coward 
men ; who if brave enough, would soon find 

a way to bring food in. 

1 Male Tush, you talk 
nonsense; nobody knows how dreadful these 
sieges are, but those that have taken part 
in them. Passapae, you are a soldier; and 
fought in the war against the United States : 
explain to us a siege? 

Passapae: Well then, the first 

step is — circumvallation and contravallation. 

2 Male: 

What the devil is that ! 
Passapae: Let me show you. 

I will stand upon this box, and some of 
you form a circle around me : — so : that is 
circumvallation, or a wall that has been 
built to invest or shut me in. I represent 
the city, you represent the wall, and my 
enemies are behind you : but their rear is 



119 



unprotected. Now some of you form a larger 
circle, so : that is contravallation, or 
a rear protecting wall. Finally leaving 
this shelter ; under cover of an artillery 
fire, with fixed bayonets, they attempt to 
close in on me ; but are met by my deadly 
volleys of shot and shell. 

Voices: Yes, yes. 

Passapae: To avoid 

certain destruction; they abandon such 
tactics, and try to accomplish the object 
in another way :— they dig trenches, towards 
the city : not on a straight line, but zigzag. 

Voices: 
Why zigzag? 

Passapae: To escape an enfilading fire. 

Small Chorus: 
What's that? 

Passapae: Where the cannon ball whizzes 

along, and when it finds many men standing 
behind each other, it mows them down like 
a scythe does the ripened wheat. 

Larger Chorus: Merciful 

power above ! 

Passapae: Having gone far enough forward, 

they stop, and branching off sideways, dig 
the deadly parallel. 

Larger Chorus: What's that? 

Passapae: A circular 

trench, going completely around the city, 
with the excavated earth thrown on one side, 
to form a parapet. 

Full Chorus Great heavens 1 

Passapae: And in 

this way, they draw closer — and closer — 
and closer — until 

Crowd {hoarsely) Until what! 

Passapae: They capture 

the City. 

Crowd: Hark! hark! 

1 Female: O, I am all of a 
tremble! what was it? 

2 Female The reports of cannon ! 
There they go again ! 

Croivd: The foe is upon us ! 

The foe is upon us ! (Exeunt) 

(Enter Rodriguez and a Priest) 
Priest: Now dear Rodriguez, tell me, do you 
not begin to feel that content, that tranquil 
mind, which springs from being a devout 
Christian ? 
Rodriguez: Perhaps I do : I was very sick 
at heart, you know. I have been sick in 
body, and taken the Doctor's nostrums : 
after taking a dozen bottles, he would 
ask me as you have: are you not much better? 
I must confess I didn't feel any better; 
yet it must have done me good ; for shortly 



after, in a seemingly miraculous manner, 
I found myself in a most salubrious state 
of health. 

Priest: Just so : well, keep up your 

devotions ; and you will soon be in a 
salubrious state of moral health. 
Love God : and your hungry soul, will have 
her content so absolute ; that not another 
ill, can ever harm, which lurks in unknown 
fate. 

Rodriguez: Blessed possibility ! 

Priest: I trust that 

the carnal lust for the sweet Esmeralda, 
no longer tortures you? 

Rodriguez: Thank heaven, no! 

else I had been dead. In sheer desperation, 
I tried holy religion ; and it has at least 
saved my life. But my feeling for the lady: 
why that was love ! why do you call it lust ? 

Priest: 

Lay your finger on your lips thus, as it 
were, while I instruct you a little. 
The spirit, is love : the flesh, is appetite. 
If I long for something, so much, that I 
am consumed with desire : that is not love : 
but lust : and no dicta of society can 
alter the fact. When a young man who is 
courting a girl, becomes impatient over 
the delay in possession or any other 
cause, the attribute that he has dignified 
as love, is nothing but a passion. 

Rodriguez: How 

can you possibly reason thus? 

Priest: Because 

my dear Rodriguez, love can never be 
the cause of unhappiness : love is bliss. 
Listen to the scriptures : — "Love suffereth 
long, and is kind ; envieth not ; vaunteth 
not itself, is not puffed up ; doth not 
behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her 
own, is not easily provoked, thinketh 
no evil ; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but 
rejoiceth in the truth ; beareth all things, 
believeth all things, hopeth all things, 
endureth all things." 

Rodriguez: A new light is 

dawning upon me. I seem to feel that 
you rishtfully term such a feeling — passion. 
But passion, is not lust. 

Priest: It is a mild 

form of it. 

Rodriguez: Ah, I see — and therefore if 

my impatience to possess my dearest, breeds 
misery ; my passion has become lust. 

Priest: Just so : 

I am glad that you see it. 

Rodriguez: Yes, and I 

see also that religion is an inexhaustible 
mine of priceless gems ; to be had by all 



120 



who are willing to toil for them. 
{Enter Alfredo) 

Alfredo: Rodriguez, upon my soul! alive 
and well. Say, when can I have a word 
with you? Your blessing, Father. 

Priest: You have 

it already. Speak with him now : no don't 
deprecate. I was just about to go. (Exit) 

Rodriguez: 

You were astonished to see me : for at 
our last meeting, I told you that I had 
fully determined to drown myself. 

Alfredo: And I 

said that if thou didst, I would never 
speak to thee afterwards. 

Rodriguez: I must confess 

it seems foolish; but I was so in love 
with Esmeralda. 

Alfredo: Before I would drown myself, 

for the sake of ten stone of flesh in the 
shape of a woman : whose only enduring and 
endurable charm, (a soul) has been given 
to another ; I would cease boasting of my 
superiority over a rooster. 

Rodriguez: Nevertheless, 

you might now be talking to a dead man, 
had I not found a way of deliverance. 

Alfredo: What 

was that? 

Rodriguez: I joined the Church. 

Alfredo: Ha, ha, ha! 

you joined the Church. 

Rodriguez: Why do you laugh so? 

What do you find so remarkable? 

Alfredo: Why, thou 

art sentenced already, for past offences, 
to serve many a year in hell. Christianity, 
can pardon, if you will help it: but you 
are too stubborn to voluntarily take this 
easy way, to rid yourself forever of the 
devil : you will have to be driven to it. 
Come now, I'll wager you still have that 
lust for Esmeralda. 

Rodriguez: Why do you call it 

lust? 

Alfredo: Simply on account of its being 
a feverish, covetous, unsatisfying passion, 
unworthy of the name of love. 

Rodriguez: The Priest, 

who just left us, takes the same view 
of it. Then, you, a scoffer at sacred things, 
agree with him on one point. 

Alfredo: On one point, 

and on all points : and let me tell you 
that all men agree with the doctrines they 
preach ; but many are too devilish to 
admit it : as for me, I have become so 
fixed in depravity, that my daily round 
of wickedness is as necessary as my meals. 



Rodriguez: 

Well, what mischief have you in view just 
now? 

Alfredo: Only a scheme to even up a grudge, 
with an enemy. 

Rodriguez: What is it? 

Alfredo: I will tell 
you ; and you are just the one by the way, 
to help me with it: Esmeralda is having 
her picture painted by Rafael de la Torre 

Rodriguez: 

How the deuce did you find that out ? The 
work is almost done. 

Alfredo: Well, I spied it out, 

after gunning some days. Now, you are a 
rich young elegant ; and having nothing 
else to do, are studying the art, for 
love of it. 

Rodriguez: By Jove! you are right: I - 
love to paint ! to create images, according 
to my inspirations, whims and fancies. 
And when the portrait's finished; to stand 
enraptured before the offspring of my 
own genius : — the lovely form, the finely 
chiseled features, the soulful eyes, the 
lifehke expression, and (greatest charm 
of all) the mysticism of silence! 

Alfredo: Save that 

gush, for another occasion. Here is my 
plan : You are a pupil of Rafael's, and 
spend most of your time there. I, heaven 
help me, am intimate with a wanton creature, 
as frail as she is fair; whom I will have 
play for the nonce, Esmeralda's part. You 
will be disguised as Rafael: and while 
working away on the half done picture 
of Esmeralda, with the false creature 
posing to you for it: I will suddenly 
enter the studio with the jealous Otomis : 
and secrete him so that he can see what 
is going on, without seeing your faces. 
I will tip you off on our arrival, and 
you must then caress the supposed Esmeralda, 
in a most unconventional and shocking 
manner. 

Rodriguez: Oh, I cannot do that; I have 
just begun to be a Christian. 

Alfredo: Christian 

fiddlesticks! you ought begin to cease to 
be an ass. 

Rodriguez: But the enraged Otomis would 
break in upon us, and the deception be 
discovered. 

Alfredo: I have thought of that; and 

will look to it that he does not : come, 
your answer ; will you do it ? 

Rodriguez: I dare not. 

Alfredo: What man, not for the sake of 
gaining Esmeralda? let me tell you a 



121 



secret : many of the rich gems that you 
sent to her by me, I have still in my 
possession. (Aside) And there they will 
remain, until they follow the others to 
the pawn shop. 

Rodriguez: You stunned me so that 

I couldn't speak: why, how is that? 

Alfredo: Since 
her engagement, the lovely lady has always 
refused to receive them : when I tender 
them with your love, she says "not yet" and 
heaves a profound sigh, thus — Ah ! 

Rodriguez: Ah ! 

Isn't that delightful for upon my soul 

I can interpret it but one way. What do 

you think? 

Alfredo : That she dotes on you : and 

having repented of her match with the 
Indian, longs for a chance to break it off. 
Will you be the quixotic knight to help 
her? 

Rodriguez: I would hazard my life against 
greater odds than a windmill, to do so : 
but your scheme will avail nothing. 

Alfredo : Can't 

you see, stupid, that the infuriated man 
will renounce her, and leave her free to 
give her hand where her heart is — to you. 

Rodriguez: 
Aha! that's so. 

Alfredo: Will you do it? 

Rodriguez: I hardly 

think so ; but I want more time to consider. 

Alfredo: 

Here come some Commanders, high in rank : 
I have some business with them : leave me, 
and return in a few moments with your 
decision. 

Rodriguez: That I agree to do. {Exit) 

{Enter Manuel and other Military Conspirators) 

Alfredo: Speak, Manuel, how prospers our 
design to traitorously admit the foe 
into the city's walls? 

Manuel: All goes bravely! 

Did you hear the firing of cannon just 
now? 

Alfredo: Yes, — what of them? 

Manuel: Listen : — you 

know that Fort Lemnos, is by far our 
most formidable defence, and commands a 
wide area : that the guns of that stronghold 
once silenced, it would be an easy task 
for the foe to enter the city through 
the breach? 

Alfredo: I do know that right well. 

Manuel: The 

firing just now, was a mock attack by 
the foe, done at my instigation. Upon 



hearing the bombardment, I rushed to 
Otomis and implored permission to send 
more gunners to Fort Lemnos : he consented ; 
and the force there is now recruited by 
the choicest band of cutthroats that ever 
donned a soldier's uniform. When you give 
the word, they will overpower the regular 
force; spike the guns; and give the signal 
to the enemy. 

Alfredo: Manuel, well have you done 

the task I allotted to you : that of 
weakening the defences. If the French keep 
faith with me, and appoint me Generalissimo, 
after they capture the city, then art thou 
my lieutenant. One thing remains to be done, 
to make our project certain. 

Conspirators: What is that? 

Alfredo: The populace, and the army too, 
are so divided in their sympathies, that 
it would take but a slight spark to stir 
up a revolt. This must be done : Otomis 
removed from the supreme command: and 
some one put in his place, who will make 
such disposition of the forces, that 
will aid our cause. 

1 Conspir. Bravo! let it be done 
to day. 

Conspirs.: The revolt! — The revolt! 

Manuel: Yes, 

to-night ! 
Alfredo: No! Not tonight, but to-morrow 

night. I have a little surprise in store 

for this man; which must come while he still 

rides on the waves of fortune. 
Conspirs.: To-morrow 

night, then 

Alfredo: At nine o'clock: and make all 

your plans acordingly. 
Manuel: We must get back 

to duty : come, go with us. 
Alfredo: Only as far 

as the armory ; and then I must return : 

I have an appointment here. {Exeunt) 

2 Conspir. {lingers): 

Otomis struck me yesterday, when I slighted 
his authority ; and to strike me means the 
death penalty. My three hired assassins, 
are skulking around here waiting for him 
to come out. Rid ourselves of him? humph, 
a revolt won't be necessary. {Exit) 

{Enter Perdita) 

Perdita: Why does Alfredo stay away; when 
he knows that it makes Perdita sad? Two 
days now without a sight of him : and such 
days seem Hke years. What right have I 
to think of love? a wanton creature who 
solicits promiscuous embraces. Does he 
love me? Only with a delirium that demands 
some gilded charm to whet the fancy. When 



122 



cosmetics and fine clothes have lost their 
sorcery, then is his love gone: for he 
cares not for purity; neither have I 
such to give him. I hoped to meet him 
here; he often comes to the armory: not 
in sight this way, let me look the other. 
Ooh! three horrid-looking men approaching: 
I will hide here till they pass by. (Hides) 
(Enter three Assassins) 

1 Assassin: Quick, hide behind the bastion of 
this wall: he will be here straight. 

2 Assassin: Wait 
until he passes, and then jump at him. 

3 Assassin: 

Are you sure that it was he? 

2 Assassin: I am not 
sure of anything : I am not sure that the 
rope won't break, when thou art hung. 

I Assassin: A flood 

of light still glimmers in the west : darkness 
is best for this sort of work. 

3 Assassin: Here he is; 
and he's our man. 

(Enter Otomis) 

Otomis: This is the cause, this is the cause. 
Hear me you pitying stars ! this cruel war : 
that sheds men's blood, and mutilates their 
limbs : this is the cause of my perturbed 
soul. O, that it were over: it is so 
long drawn out and piteous : What wonder, 
when thousands of devils fight on either 
side ; the least of whom can well wield 
the infernal weapons, coined from the 
metals and explosives of the useful arts, 
but invested with the murderous elements, 
of hell's own regions. O, that the Heavenly 
powers would limit and circumscribe the 
extent of war. 

Perdita: Now he will pass their way: 

do they mean to harm him? Hah, knives are 
being drawn — Murder! (Screams) 

Otomis: What, bloody 

assassins in front and behind me : stand 
back or I'll split one of you with this 
sword. 

I Assassin: Quick, strike him in the back: 
that woman's screams will soon bring help. 
Enter Alfredo and Rodriguez) 

Rodriguez: The General, attacked ! Alfredo draws 
to help him. Bravo ! those were good thrusts : 
aha, the wounded renegades take to their 
heels. 

Alfredo: Are you hurt? 

Otomis: Not a jot, thanks to 

your assistance. 

Perdita: Thank heaven ! 

Otomis: Ah, it was 

you that saved my life by your warning 
screams ? 



Perdita: I saw them draw their daggers, just 

before they pounced upon you. I am glad 
that although a degenerate, I can still 
be of some service. 

Alfredo: What do you here, my 

Perdita? 
Perdita: I came in the hope of seeing you. 

Where have you kept so long? 
Alfredo (taking her aside): Hie you home, 

Perdita : I will see you to-night : I have 

a little masquerading for you to do in 

the morning, at Rafael's studio. 
Perdita: What do 

you mean? 
Alfredo: I will tell you all about it 

to-night. (Exit Perdita) 
Otomis: Rodriguez, you rich, 

young dude, how do you progress with your 

painting ? 
Rodriguez: Marvelous : way beyond my fondest 

dreams. 
Otomis: I shall esteem it a privilege and 

a pleasure, some day to visit the studio 

and inspect your work. 
Alfredo (aside): Rodriguez, ask him 

to come to-morrow — don't hesitate I beseech 

you. 
Rodriguez: General, delighted I am sure! 

If I can get great men like you to patronize 

me, my reputation is assured. Will you 

do me the honor to come to-morrow? 
Alfredo: Yes, 

at ten o'clock in the morning: and I will 

meet you there. 
Otomis: At ten o'clock to-morrow, 

then let it be ; and there's an engagement 

made. Will you both go along with me? I 

am going to take a look at the eastern 

ramparts. 
Rodriguez With pleasure, I. 
Alfredo: And I have 

some business at the armory. 
Otomis: Let us go. 

(Exeunt Otomis and Rodriguez) 

Alfredo: If my plans 

do not miscarry, I will be fully and 
amply revenged. First, to break his very 
heartstrings, by damned proof that Esmeralda 
is false ; and to sweep him from office 
and honors afterwards ; so that he will 
be reft of the solacing thought, that her 
desertion may have been owing to his 
altered fortunes. Visiting him in his 
forlorn condition ; I shall let him know 
the accursed part I played in it: then 
when with stricken soul he starts away 
to seek her and implore her forgiveness — 
kill him. (Exit) 



123 



ACT III 



Scene I. — The Studio of Rafael de la Torre. 

{Enter Brushby) 

Brushby: Paint — paint — nothing but paint! 
I shall have the painter's colic ; I am 
sure I shall. Painting of pictures : and 
painting of faces : the last by the models ; 
who plaster it on their own faces an 
inch thick. Yet fame costs a heavy price; 
and even the painter's colic is not 
too much to pay for it: am I not the 
factotum of the great artist, De la Torre; 
whose baptismal name is Rafael : renowned 
for his flesh tints, and anatomy. I don't 
know just what that means, but presume it 
is the art of counterfeiting the human 
form and features. (Exit) 

{Enter Rodriguez, Alfredo, and Perdita) 

Alfredo: Now that we have arranged all the 
details of our Httle scheme to impose 
upon the too confiding Otomis, we have 
only to await his coming. 

Rodriguez: That is all. 

The deception should succeed to perfection, 
if there is no hitch. 

Alfredo: There is some danger. 

You told me yesterday, just before Perdita's 
scream was heard, that Esmeralda's sittings 
here, were on Mondays and Thursdays, so we 
have no fear of her : but how did you 
get rid of Rafael? 

Rodriguez: I told him last night, 

that I would like the use of the studio 
this morning. 

Alfredo: And he consented? 

Rodriguez: Not quite: 

he said he knew of nothing to prevent. 
A half hour ago I went to renew the subject, 
and found that he had gone out. 

Alfredo: That is 

too bad: he may return at any moment; 
and if he catches us -flagrante delicto, 
(in the very act of our knavery), we will 
be in a pretty pickle. 

Rodriguez: It would be very 

mortifying: but let me tell you a strange 
thing: I believe that he would approve the 
trick; so long as he was not made an 
accessory. He hath said to me, "Rodriguez, 
would that the Indian might drop in some 
day, and find me painting her picture: it 
would break up the match." And then he 
hissed under his breath, "O, cursed fate, 
that gave thee to the Indian." 

Alfredo: Egad, that's 

good. 

Rodriguez: No, it is not good ! 

Alfredo: Why? 



Rodriguez: Because 

he is a formidable rival: he may cut me 
out, and gain the prize. 

Alfredo: Never fear: the 

mention of your name, throws her into a 
transport. I wish that you could have heard 
her, ah! 

Rodriguez: Ah! — a very significant exclamation: 

it seems that I have her : but she has so 
many admirers; everybody takes to her: 
why you, Alfredo, even you perhaps love her. 

Alfredo: 

I,— ah, ha, ha ! that is too good ; I in 
love with her ; the idea is absurd, ha, ha ! 
{Aside) Zounds, I must change the subject. 
What do you think of Perdita's makeup? 

Perdita: You 

must admit, Rodriguez, that it is not bad. 
I am a modiste by trade, and when you 
showed me the portrait in a white dress, 
it was not difficult to imitate it. 

Rodriguez: 

A most exquisite resemblance, I assure 
you ! so striking that if you are seen, it 
will cause comment. Come, I will find you 
a place to hide, until the time arrives 
for action. {Exit Rodriguez with Perdita) 

Alfredo: 

The General is late : no matter ; he v/ill 
soon come, and what he sees here will so 
prey upon his function, that no powders, 
pills, or marvelous patented cures, can 
lull him into that content which he owned 
yesterday. 

{Enter Otomis) 

Otomis: What, Alfredo, you are here already: 
are you more than punctual, or is it 
that I am tardy? 

Alfredo: On the contrary. General, 

you are on good time : as for me, I 

purposely arrived some minutes early. 
Otomis: 

Then from my mind I'll pluck regret : a 

nettle that often interferes with pleasure. 

Where is Rodriguez, and Rafael? 
Alfredo: Rafael 

is late this morning: I believe he is 

expected shortly. 
Otomis: And here comes the merry 

Rodriguez. 
Rodriguez: Welcome, General, to our very 

humble quarters ! You have kept your word, 

and paid us a visit ; thanks be to our 

lucky stars. 
Otomis: A perfect treat, upon my 

honor, to visit the studio: I am glad 

to be here. But you refer to it, as 



124 



very humble quarters : I can't agree 
with you ; the place is very pretentious. 
Now this is a fine room : what do you 
call it? 

Rodriguez: The portrait room: this is where 
our patrons sit for their portraits. 

Otomis: Ah, 

I understand. And on my left hand, through 
an archway over there I behold a vista, 
of gilt frames and gorgeous colors. 

Rodriguez: , That 

is the picture gallery : where the product 
of our brushes is put on exhibition. 

Alfredo: 

It contains some rare paintings. General. 
There you will see the rustic housewife, set 
in a rural scene of such simplicity and 
beauty; that you, yourself will long to be 
a peasant : there is vain Pschye, admiring 
her own reflection in the mirror of 
the river ; and you will tremble lest she 
tumble in ; so lifelike is the water painted : 
there, in a marine view, you can see the 
endless ocean, rage and swell and foam, in 
impotent fury 'gainst the threatening clouds. 

Otomis: 

By Jove, your vivid description of some 
treasures of the Gallery, has lifted me 
on the tiptoe of expectation : come, let 
us visit it at once. 

Rodriguez: With pleasure, Senor {Exeunt) 

Enter Magdala, Salome and Eidalie {three artist's 
models) into the ivorkshop {an adjoining room visible 
to the audience). 

Magdala: Quit that sobbing, Eulalie ; don't be a kid. 
Eulalie: I can't help it, Magdala ; the words cut me 

to the quick. 
Magdala: What kind of men were they? 

Eulalie: Two fine looking young men, and stylishly 

dressed. 
Salome: And after passing them, you heard one 

say to the other, "She is only an artist's 

model" — just a few words? 
Eulalie: Just a few words, 

Salome, but they were accented with a significance 

that spoke volumes. 
Salome: The truth is not palatable, 

sometimes, but he told the truth, for that 

is your occupation, and ours too. 
Eulalie: Cannot 

an artist's model be as respectable as 

anybody else? 
Salome: She can be if she wants to be. 

Magdala: I think you both forget that most 

young girls employed in this kind of work 

are beset by unusual temptations. 
Eidalie: That 

is too true — shame on the men 1 Woman 



is the most sacred of created things : and 
nature has exhausted its supply of 
graces and charms, upon her form and 
features : a generous display of these 
beauties, is profitable to the pure-minded 
man ; while to the evil-minded they are 
debasing. 

Salome: I never think of how it affects 
them, as long as they are affected. I 
see no harm in posing in any way : even 
approaching the perilous stages : almost 
to the altogether. 

Magdala: Oh that is shocking 

talk, Salome, and I do not believe you 
mean it, even though you are a little 
immodest sometimes in the exposure of 
your person. 

Salome: Fudge! You are only jealous 

because my anatomy is more perfect than 
yours. Come, Brushby, you fairly overflow 
with speech — have your say. 

Brushby: To loll is human, 

to pose divine ! All beings love to assume 
some pleasing posture — where is the actor 
that will not let his dinner cool if given 
but half a chance to strike an attitude : 
your minister, your statesman, or your lawyer 
is as vain as a peacock, and delights to 
show his feathers to the best advantage: 
the poet's sublime thought is best conveyed 
by aid of an expressive gesture. Let the 
stony statue stand on its base forever 
motionless : but we that are gifted with life, 
must ever move in shapes of infinite variety. 

Magdala: 

Listen to that, now ; still the same old 
declamatory Brushby. By the bye, Eulalie, 
what do you pose for to-day? 

Eulalie: "Patience on 

a monument smiling at grief." — And you? 

Magdala: 

"Wisdom" — an allegory of wisdom ; standing 
with outstretched arms : in my right hand, 
are riches and honor; in my left hand, 
are glory and power. {She poses.) 

Salome: And me? 

Well I will show you. {She removes her wrap 

and mounts a pedestal.) 
Salome: Pygmalion ! 

Brushby: Hark! 

who spoke? {a pause) 
Salome: Pygmalion ! 

Brushby: Ye Gods! 

it was Galatea ! My Galatea speaks ! 

She stirs ! ! She lives ! ! ! 
Salome: Pygmalion, come, 

help me to descend! 



125 



Brushby: The gracious Gods have 

listened to my prayers ; and imbued my statue, 
with the breath of life! (Aids her to descend) 

Magdala and Eulalie: 

Bravo, bravo ! why Brushby, where did you 
learn it? 

Brushby: Oh, I am quite familiar with 

W. S. Gilbert's drama of Pygmalion and Galatea : 
I used to play in it as an amateur. 

Salome: Is it 

not a beautiful conception? I love to 
pose it. Surely there is no boundary, 
to display in art. 

Brushby: I beg to differ with 

you: there is a line. 

Salome: What is it? 

Brushby: Immodesty. 

You must not go that far. 

Salome: Prove it. 

Brushby: Listen : 

Pygmalion was a sculptor ; and loved his 
art. He reached the acme of his joy when 
he carved his masterpiece, Galatea. 
But not content with nature's way, he 
prayed that the satisfying marble, might 
come to life ; with all of life's peculiarities. 
The Grecian Gods, to enlighten him through 
suffering, gave him his wish : his beloved 
carving became animated stone : — but instead 
of the fond object of his dreams, there 
stood before him a veritable Medusa of 
immodesty. 

Eulalie: Huzza ! it is vain strife to 

deny the force of that. Now that you have 
proved your thesis ; there yet remains the 
moral. 

Brushby: It is this: that, if the loving 
and guiding hand of Providence, did not 
curb our runaway lusts, our raging motions, 
our carnal stings, the blood and baseness 
of our natures would conduct us into 
constant calamities. 

Magdala: Come girls, let us 

get busy with our drawing ; we have to sketch some 
poses. {They sit at a table: re-enter Rodriguez, 
who signals Magdala.) 

Magdala: 
Rodriguez just signaled me that he has 
visitors in the next room : we must be 
circumspect. 

{Re-enter Otomis and Alfredo) 
Otomis: Superb! wonderful! and what other 

adjective might I not use to express 

my satisfaction ! 
Rodriguez: I am gratified that you 

are pleased. 
Otomis: Rodriguez, your tutor, and 

yourself have much genius and skill : you 

threaten to seriously impair the renown 



of the old Spanish master, Velasquez. 

Rodriguez: 

Oh, I much fear that you greatly overrate 
us, sir. 

Otomis: No, on my honor: but then you 
know I am no critic. Now, may I be so 
curious as to inquire, what is Rafael's 
specialty ? 

Rodrigiiezj Oh, he is master of all the 
branches. He paints landscapes — of land 
or sea ; actual or fancied. 

Otomis: So versatile 

as that. 

Rodriguez: And also portraits — from the 
actual ; or ideal. 

Otomis: Indeed. Now what is 

your hobby? 

Alfredo: He is a little ashamed of 

his vocation, so I will answer for him. 
He is the keeper — tamer — what you will, 
of three pretty girls in diaphanous and 
somewhat abbreviated garments. 

Otomis: I don't 

quite apprehend. 

Rodriguez: He meant, by this sarcasm, 

to convey to you the fact that I use 
professional models. I am a painter of 
groupings — from sacred or profane history. 

Otomis: 

Ah, a very fascinating and popular phase 
of art. And posed by models, eh ; where 
do you quarter them ? 

Rodriguez: There, through that 

curtained entrance ; the next room, called 
the workshop : we will go in there ; but 
first let me show you this stand, called 
in technical parlance, "a model's platform :" 
on which occur the "sittings" to the artist 
of the person whose personality is to 
be copied. 

Otomis: The lady, who wagers her very 

soul upon her beauty, must mount that place 
with as much trepidation, as the culprit 
does the scaffold. 

Rodriguez: No doubt. Here, the 

artist sits ; with his canvas upon this 
easel ; and glancing meanwhile at the model, 
paints the picture. This easel has a half 
finished portrait upon it ; which is hidden 
from view by a cloth covering : I regret 
that the ethics of the profession — the 
confidential relation between patron and 
painter forbids me to show it. 

Otomis: I would 

not have you violate the rule for anything. 

Rodriguez: 

Now, I will take you in the workshop : but" 
allow me a minute to prepare them in 
there for your coming. 



126 



Otomis: Take your own time. 

(Exit Rodriguez) 

Alfredo: Now, General, I have a shock in 
store for you : be steadfast, for naught can 
help you now, but some angel or some devil. 

Otomis: 
What are you doing, Alfredo? 

Alfredo: I take this 

canvas from the easel, bring it out to 
you, and remove the covering, thus — look ! 

Otomis: 

Merciful God! Esmeralda! (close) Thou dost 

sear mine eyeballs — is it not beautiful ! 

But she is false as hell! 

Alfredo: Hush 

Otomis: Hush, Alfredo; 

nay, that sight has aroused the dormant 
devil, that's in our disposition. She 
never told me of it. What does the damnable 
thing prove ? Perhaps much : at the least, 
that she is an arrant coquette. 

Alfredo: You shall 

know all about it later : he is coming back ; 
go into the next room as thoueh nothing 
had happened. I will whisper him to 
leave us : when he does not follow us in, 
make you no dissent. 

Otomis: Arrange it as you 

please, but do not keep me in suspense. 

(Re-enter Ridrigiiez) 

Rodriguez (to Otomis) :Come, sir, the coast 
is clear. (Exit Otomis) 

Alfredo: I have prepared him for your 
absence : you can proceed now with the fake 
sitting. (Exit Alfredo) 

(Rodriguez goes off and returns with Perdita, 
who takes the model's platform, which is 
along the wall and just hack of the draped 
entrance to the workshop: Rodriguez goes 
into a closet, and returns with a wig on, 
and coat replaced by a velvet jacket, and 
sits at the easel, which is at an oblique 
angle in front of the model's platform, and 
begins to paint, zvith the portrait facing 
the audience. All of this is done silently 
while the action of the play is proceeding 
in the workshop, the dialogue of which we 
now give) 

Otomis: A happy greeting to you all — 
ladies and gentleman. 

Models and Brushby: The very same to 
you, senor. 

Otomis: Do not rise : proceed with your 

work, I beg of you. 

Alfredo: What, not so much 

as "good day" to me. You see, sir, I 
come here so often, that the ladies look 
upon a visit of mine as a very tame 
and prosy occurrence. 



Otomis: I perceive that you 

are so friendly as to have outgrown all 
ceremony. (Aside) Alas, must I — can I 
exercise the hollow and stereotyped phrases 
of courtesy, when the sight of that picture, 
has turned the blood of my veins into 
liquid fire! 

Alfredo: Now, General, you have been 

admitted behind the scenes. Here are three 
specimens of those divine creatures, known 
as models : who, like the actresses, are 
presumed to possess marvelous beauty; but 
once seen without the mask of paint and 
ornament, is to be reconciled to a 
life without them. 

Salome: O, you slanderer! 

Eulalie: Just 

listen to that horrid man. 

Alfredo: Brushby, I 

am sure, will now point out to you the 
salient features of the workshop? 

Brushby: With 

pleasure. Here are paints — brushes — canvas- 
frames — pedestals- — costumes — bric-a-brac for 
adornments : and here is a little stage, 
on which we build up our atmosphere and 
environment for the groupings. 

Otomis: For thy 

good service, many thanks. Alfredo, now 
we are alone : the portrait — tell me of 
that. Have pity, man, don't you see that 
I am near collapse ! 

Alfredo: We may be overheard: 

can't you summon up patience? Can't you 
wait? 

Otomis: Wait^no, it is impossible. 
Alfredo: Well, 

then we will make our adieus to Rodriguez, 

and depart at once. 
Otomis: Do so, for I must 

hear the worst : I am heartsick, and the 

worst will soonest cure me. 
Alfredo: Come. (Exit) 

Otomis: Hold ! (Alfredo returns) Distress, 

robs me of my manners : my parting respects 

to the models must be paid. 
Alfredo: Never mind that, 

we cannot leave yet — look here. 
Otomis: Why what 

did you see in there that so moves you? 

(They peep in and Otomis is horror-struck) 

Horrid spectacle ! Rafael oainting, and 

Esmeralda posing to him. Axn I coherent 

in my statement of the facts, or have I 

lost my senses? 
Alfredo: You have only seen what 

the nearly finished portrait proved, had 

taken place repeatedly. The amazing part 



127 



of it is that you should be here during 
a sitting. 

Otomis: A startling coincidence. Why 
did Rodriguez permit us to come at 
such an inopportune time? 

Alfredo: Why did he? 

that's the question : perhaps he didn't know : 

that surely is the case if what I was 
told is true. 

Otomis: "What you was told" — O, that 

comes o'er my memory again, like the 
frightened away vulture returns to the 
carcass. Tell the vile tale : even though 
it be overheard : what care I in my 
desperation. 

Alfredo: Being a frequent visitor 

here, it was not strange that I caught a 

■ view of the portrait. I quizzed the models 
about it, and they sfibinely said that 
it was only a pretext to brinsr two 
brainsick lovers tot^ether. Then I felt 
it mv duty to apprise you : but remembering 
your fierce wrath on a former occasion, 
I hesitated. 

Otomis: Alas, how often in our rage, 

we abuse the ones that love us best : I 
now see I did you great wrong; and ask 
forgiveness. 

Alfredo: Which is alreadv granted: 

T never held the slightest enmitv. 

One day it seems the pair had been caught 
a-kissing 

Otomis: Curses on him ! to profane those 

lips that T held sacred. Why, I have kissed 
her, and felt that the known world contained 
not such another ecstasy. 

Alfredo: I learned this. 

from the models' p-ossip, which echoed through 
the workshop ; but beino- skeptical of their 
veracitv, I went to Rodrieuez, who verified 
the kissing, and said it was of frequent 
occurrence : that in fact, the sittines, held 
at first at reeular intervals ; were now 
takinor place very often ; and at the most 
unexpected times. 

Otomis: That explains it : the 

sitting to-day, is an imexppcted one. 
But here's a point — when Rodrieuez did 
see them, why didn't he warn them of my 
presence ? 

Alfredo: A measre supply of paints and 

brushes, caused his hastv departure for 
the corner store: evidently, he must have 
been detained. 

Otomis: See how absurdly I look 

at thines. O, acute sight, bred of misery; 
thou teachest me to see motes that are not, 
except in the blazing sun ! 



Alfredo: I will take 

another peep. They are about to leave. 

Quick, look here ! 

Otomis: To eavesdrop, is truly 

despicable, ordinarily: but foul actions, 
cannot be spotted by fair means. (Peeps) 
Death and damnation ! It was bad to hear, 
but O, the horror of seeing it ! Come away, 
Alfredo : don't witness their lewd embraces. 
I despise her — now, the old love surges 
again — only to turn to jealousv: I am 
on fire with a hell of conflicting passions! 

(He staggers to a chair and drops in stupor) 

Rodriguez: 

Hark ! I hear Rafael's voice ! He must have 
returned. 

Perdita: Yes, he is talking to some 
woman. 

Rodriguez: They are coming this way: he must 
not see you. 

Perdita: Where can I go? 

Rodriguez: Quick, run 

into the art gallery: there's an exit 
from that to the street. (Exeunt) 

(Enter Rafael and Esmeralda) 

Rafael: I wish I had known that you were 
coming : if you had arrived earlier, I 
should to my regret have kept you waiting. 

Esmeralda: 

Have you been out long? 

Rafael: About a half-hour, 

at the least. 

Esmeralda: Now, I will tell you what 
I came for — I want to have a sitting. 

Rafael: Ah, 

indeed, an extra sitting: to-morrow is 
the regular day you know? 

Esmeralda: Yes, but I 

cannot come to-morrow ; I am pledged to 
a lady friend : and I am so eager to 
have the picture finished. Can you grant 
me this favor? 

Rafael: Why, lady, I enjoy the work : 

I never steeped my brush with more alacrity. 
This ardour is not professional enthusiasm; 
My soul is in it ! 

Esmeralda: You are not averse to 

the anticipating of to-morrow's session? 

Rafael: 

Most men, like heedless children do, will 
eat up to-morrow's sweets with to-day's, 
and go without to-morrow. I think we may 

proceed at once. Kindly remove your wraps : 

so, now I will place them in the closet. (Exit) 

Esmeralda (looking at portrait): I wonder 

what Otomis will say when he sees this? 

Is it not beautiful : — maybe I ought not 
to say so. O, I am sure that he will 
be delighted I 



128 



Otomis (recovering): Heigh-ho! — would you 

believe it ; strong man though I am, that 

blow almost robbed me of my senses. 
Alfredo: Are 

you better, sir? 
Otomis: No — worse, sir: for with 

returning consciousness, there comes the 

capacity to think — feel — suffer! Come, let 

us leave this place. 
Alfredo: But they will see you. 

Otomis: Damn them! do you think I care if 

my knowledge of their perfidy is revealed 

to them. 
Alfredo: But if you meet them face to face, 

you may do that you will be sorry for. 
Otomis: 

Not here and now ; but never fear, Alfredo, 

these furious thoughts will rankle in my 

breast, until a most bloody revenge doth 

swallow them up. You bar the way. 
Alfredo: You 

shall not go. 
Otomis: By heaven, I will. 

(He enters and faces Esmeralda and Rafael, 
the latter having returned rvith a velvet 
jacket on: they don't see him at iirst) 

Alfredo: 

All is lost! Rodriguez and Perdita will 

be discovered. (Peeps in) The devil, a 

miracle ! Rafael and Esmeralda ! 

(He gloats by dumb show over what follows) 

Esmeralda: Otomis ! 

Otomis: Back, woman. 

Esmeralda: Why, what 

have I done to offend you? 
Otomis: When these 

she devils have made dupes of us, they 

turn to us an innocent face, and say, 

what have I done? 
Rafael: That was a cruel speech 

to address to a lady: I took you for 

a gentleman. 
Otomis: And I took you for a friend : 

but you, sir, aware of my engagement to 

marry this woman, deliberately enter into 

a shameful liaison with her, while the 

engagement is still unbroken. Such conduct 

richly deserves chastisement: but I refrain 

from such a course because I believe that 

this siren has bewitched you. 
Esmeralda: Are you angry 

with me on acount of my presence here 

in the studio with Rafael? That is a 

secret: and when you learn it, I believe — 

I hope, that you will approve of it. I 

will explain it later. 
Otomis: I won't listen to 

any explanation: you put on the more 



sanctimonious face, when you are lying 

the most. 
Esmeralda: O, Otomis, hear me! 
Otomis: Away!— 

I despise you. (Exit as Esmeralda faints: 

the models rush in at signal of Alfredo) 



Scene II. — A Corridor in the Armory. 

(Enter Alfredo) 

Alfredo (rings bell and Soldier enters): 
Bid Manuel, come here to this corridor. 

(Soldier salutes and retires) 

A villain, in the execution of his plans, 

ofttimes encounters as many obstacles, 

as your honest man. That is my position. 

Incredible as it seems, Esmeralda has 

written Otomis a note beseeching him 

to visit her to-night at eight-thirty; 

and he is going. It is eight by the clock, 

and I am to see him before he starts. 

Here is mv dilemma : what shall I say 

to him? If I do not incense him still 

more against her, they may become reconciled: 

if I do incense him still more, he may 

kill her : a tragedy which is unthinkable, 

for she must be mine. 

(Enter Manuel) 

Manuel: In this out of the way place, one 
hears no sounds save his own footsteps: we 
are fairly safe here from prying eyes and 
listening ears. 

Alfredo: I chose it for its secrecy. 

Now, Manuel, in half an hour we strike 
our blows for glory. The revolt of the 
army within, and the assault of the foe 
without, will enable the French to enter 
the City in triumph, and Maximilian, 
will be proclaimed Emperor of Mexico. 
Have all the details been seen to? 

Manuel: Yes 

even to the most minute particular. 

Alfredo: Still, 

let us make assurance doubly sure: go you 
and bring the conspirators here. (Exit Manuel) 
At the very climax of the battle, I myself 
will lead a dare-devil band to Don Antonio's 
house, arrest Otomis, and cast him into 
prison. (Re-enter Manuel with Conspirators) 

Conspirators: 
Vive I'empereur! 

Alfredo: Long live Maximilian! 

I Conspir: Do you really think that it will 
benefit Mexico, to crown him emperor? 

Alfredo: 

That I know not : half the people think so ; 
and half think otherwise. But what need we 
care? We are well paid for our treachery. 



129 



2 Conspir.: 

Why did you set the revolt for eight-thirty? 
You know we had agreed on the hour of nine. 

3 Conspir.: 

And that revolt, was the uprising of the 
army against Otomis' authority : but now 
the French are to attempt to enter, also? 

Alfredo: 
A few words of explanation. When I learned 
a while ago, that at eight-thirty Otomis, 
would be at the home of Don Antonio Morello, 
I thought the time had come for decisive 
action — you know, when the cat's away, 
the mice can play. 

Conspir s.: That's so — that's so. 

Alfredo: Acting upon this theory, I at once 
sent you word to give out the necessary 
commands — what has each one of you done? 

1 Conspir.: 

I have arranged for the revolt of the 
army at the appointed time. 

2 Conspir.: And I have 
ordered the cut-throats in Fort Lemnos, 
to spike the guns, at the same time. 

3 Conspir.: And 
I have signaled to the French, to make 

an assault, in unison. 
Alfredo: Good! For these 

rare services, much thanks to all of you. 

Hist, I hear footsteps : it must be Otomis : 

you must not be seen here. {Exeunt all but 

Alfredo) 

{Enter Otomis) 
Otomis: Tell me, Alfredo, what demon is it, 

that keeps a man in bondage to some base 

passion? 
Alfredo: She bids you come: and like a 

slave, you must obey the call. 
Otomis: I admit 

the charge. 
Alfredo: Yet your own eyes saw her 

shameless and brazen behaviour with Rafael. 
Otomis: 

Loathsome sight ! — and still I can't forget 

her. This unnatural state of mind, leads 

to a query. Does purity play no part, 

in our conceptions of beauty? 
Alfredo: Aha! purity 

is an essence that's not seen ; except by 

those so pure themselves, that they can spy 

the precious attribute in others. 
Otomis: Well, 

I am no saint, and therefore not qualified 

to judge ; but it seemed to me that virtue, 

had set its seals upon her face, to give 

the world assurance of an angel. 
Alfredo : Seemed ! 

There is many a seeming, that has no 

real existence. 



The only kind, 
Hah! you mean a 



Otomis: Alas, yes: and when that 

truth is brought home to us, what a shock 
it is. Why, her foul actions at the studio, 
almost drove me insane : I was tempted to 
kill her: and in fact did procure this 
poison for that purpose. {Exhibits vial) 

Alfredo: Have you lost your 

senses? Kill her, and become a bedfellow 
to remorse ! Forget her, man ; forget her. 

Otom,is: 
O, that I could!— Help me! 

Alfredo: Should I tell 

you? let me think. {Aside) I must defame 
her still more, to prevent a reconciliation: 
then, in his savage wrath he may kill her: 
to guard against that I will have my 
soldiers at Don Antonio's home, betimes. — 
Yes, General, I must tell you at all 
hazards. This lewd love of Rafael and 
Esmeralda was about to bear fruit. 

Otomis: 

Fruit? — what kind of fruit? 

Alfredo: 
that wedlock ever bears. 

Otomis: 
child! 
Alfredo: Aye. 

Otomis: Horrible revelation! are you 

sure it is true? how learned you of it? 

Alfredo: 

I heard it from their own lips, just after 
your departure from the studio. 

Otomis: Damn them! 

they confessed, did they? Well that removes 
all doubt. 

Alfredo: Listen to the manner of it. 
When you rushed into their presence, I 
was so anxious about what might follow, 
that I peeped in, and saw you leave in 
anger. They were both vexed, but this soon 
gave way to mirth: then they discussed their 
predicament in all its various phases : 
from this talk I learned that she had eloped 
with you, to save her from disgrace ; and 
when your wedding was indefinitely postponed, 
that the services of a disreputable physician, 
who was not above malpractice, had been 
resorted to. 

Otomis: The very climax of deviltry ! 

And this unchaste thing — this viper — is the 
woman I adore. Would that, like a cat, 
she had nine lives : one is too easily had, 
for my revenge: — O, blood, Alfredo, blood! 

Alfredo: 

Peace, man — what satisfaction can you get 
from killing her? 

Otomis: It is not a question 

of satisfaction : it is a duty I owe 



130 



to society: die she must — else she'll 
betray more men. 

Alfredo: Are you sure that you 

are free from her sorcery? 

Otomis: Yes, Alfredo, 

all my fond love, is burned up by fiery 
hate ; and the resultant ashes, thus do I 
pufif to the winds. 

Alfredo: I beseech you ! grant me 

this favor : do not kill her to-night. 
Otomis: Why 

not to-night? 
Alfredo: Because, your wrath may cool, 

with time. 
Otomis: Never, sir — when once the mind 

is wrought into an exalted state, by the 

tension of some rank injustice ; the furious 

flames never subside flicker and die out, 

until the wronged soul has tasted full 

reparation ! (Exit) 
Alfredo: He is too polite, to 

butcher her without exchanging courtesies : 

that will give me time to get my band 

of dare-devils together, and break in 

upon him and his intended victim, at 

Don Antonio's house. (Exit) 



Scene III. — A Private Section of the Parlor in Don 
Antonio's Mansion. 

(Enter Esmeralda, and a Servant carrying a rich 
ornamental easel and portrait) 

Esmeralda: Set down the ornamental easel, 
here, in this conspicuous spot ; and place 
the portrait on it. There, that will do: 
now you can go. (Exit Servant) 

I wonder will Otomis come? If he come, 
he will be here soon. What has caused his 
insane jealousy of Rafael? whose symptoms 
have appeared so oft of late. Merely 
seeing us together at the studio made 
him furious: but jealousy can and does 
invest the merest trifles with all the 
potential power of the best evidence. 
Let's lift the covering and take a look 
at the portrait : it is perfect, even _ 
though Rafael did finish it in a hurry. 
He knows nothing of this : — It must speak 
for me ; it must explain my presence there. 
O, cruel, inanimate creation : thou hast 
taken my love away from me, and thou must 
give him back to me. (Covers portrait) 
The letter that I wrote him to come, he 
cannot ignore ; for in a case of life or 
death, never did advocate plead with more 
persuasion. (Exit) 

(Enter Otomis ushered in by a Servant) 

Servant: Kindly be seated, senor. I will 
announce your presence to her. 



Otomis: Thank you, 

very much. (Exit Servant) Alas! how often 
have I visited here with the happiest of 
emotions ; and now how abhorrent everything 
is in my sight. What course shall I pursue? 
Shall I twit her with her baseness : let her 
know that I am fully possessed of her 
depravity? No, it is better to dissemble; 
greet her with a smiling face and cheerful 
words — while at my heart lies murder: for 
die she must, and that at once. When such 
a cruel duty must be done, it is best 
to do it quickly. 

(Enter Esmeralda) 

Esmeralda: Ah, you have come — I am so glad! 

Otomis: 
How could I do otherwise? did you not 
bid me? 

Esmeralda: Yes, but I had no certainty that 
you would obey. 

Otomis: A word of apology, right 

here. Your kind invitation should have been 
acknowledged: but it was expressly marked, 
"no answer." 

Esmeralda: I was afraid to have you reply 

by my messenger : I wanted to give you 
time for reflection : fearing that a note 
penned on the impulse of the moment, might 
be a refusal. 

Otomis: Now, lady, I am here ; what 

is your wish? 

Esmeralda: O, how very circumspect you 

are: you were not wont to be so distant. 

Otomis: 
But you have sadly changed. 

Esmeralda: Alas, then in 

your eyes I am no longer beautiful. 

Otomis: Thou 

art beautiful : aye, so beautiful that the 
senses are enraptured ! Thou wert once my 
world ; and to possess thee were to gain 
all things — but your beauty has been reft 
of that quality which sanctified it; and 
has now become the cheapest of merchandise. 

Esmeralda: 

When I said beautiful, I meant to include 
the virtues : for beauty, as such, is but 
skin thick ; and therefore a slender thing 
on which to hang happiness. I would sooner 
lose my beauty, than my honor: but thank 
God, I have lost neither. 

Otomis: Your beauty shines, 

your words ring true, and yet that heart 
is pitiless and false. O, inconsolable 
sorrow ! 

Esmeralda: What, almost weepinsr! — And all 
because you saw me at the studio, with 
Rafael. That circumstance shall not lie 
to you, and cause you misery ; if there 



131 



be any convincing power in burning words, 
spoken by a truthful tongue, I swear to 
you, that I am innocent of all wrong, 
in thought or deed ! 

Otomis: Had it pleased heaven 

to overwhelm me with misfortune. Had I 
been ignominiously defeated by the foe; 
taken prisoner, and sold as a slave: or 
had the riotous populace risen in revolt, 
and deposed me from command : or had some 
traitorous mercenaries sold to the enemy, 
an avenue of entrance through the city's 
walls: I should have become reconciled. 
But she — with whose flowery image, I 
have garlanded my soul : she, into whose 
sole keeping, I gave my faith, and trust, 
and hope, and joy : to be nurtured by 
sincerity, or blasted by deceit — turn 
thy gaze there, thou gaunt and hollow- 
eyed dispondency — ay, now look sadder 
still ! 

Esmeralda: O, I am so worried about you: 
your words are despairing, your looks are 
wild. Tell me, my own, wherein I have so 
offended you? 

Otomis: You won my love. 

Esmeralda: Well I 

always hoped I had — and you told me so. 
Otomis: 

I am not to be securely won, by artifice; 

but by those true and tender arts, that 

every soul possesseth. 
Esmeralda: Did I not give 

you those? 
Otomis: I thought so at the time ; but 

now I know your feelings were assumed: 

you inveigled me into the affair to 

escape disgrace. 
Esmeralda: Are you mad! Disgrace: 

thank heaven, my soul is a stranger to 

that word. 
Otomis: You deny like a queen, and you 

falsify like the devil. Now tell me, in 

your code of chastity, how stands the act 

of kissing with a male friend of your 

betrothed ? 
Esmeralda: 'Tis sacrilege to profane with 

kiss those lips that are so valued by a 

lover. 
Otomis: Joy! then since our engagement, you 

have not given me a Judas kiss, to wash 

away another man's? 
Esmeralda: As I remember, I have 

never kissed but you: why do you talk 

such folly? 
Otomis: I took you for that wanton 

jade of Mexico, that had a madonna's face, 

but whose kisses smacked of hell. How oft 

has Rafael kissed you? 



Esmeralda: How cruel you are; 

but I will be patient, for jealousy has 
wrought this sad havoc with your noble 
nature. In regard to your question, I 
answer — never. 

Otomis: You never kissed Rafael? 

Esmeralda: 1 never did. 

Otomis: What, not in the 

studio to-day? 

Esmeralda: Upon my sacred honor, no! 

I never dreamed of doing such a thing. 

Otomis: 
But I saw you. 

Esmeralda: As it never occurred, you 

could not have seen it. 

Otomis: I swear I did! 

Esmeralda: I swear you did not! 

Otomis (aside) : This woman, 

is a monstrosity: the earth is well rid 
of her: if she live she will add other 
lost souls to mine: I will dissemble, and 
quickly finish the business. Come, sweet, 
let us not quarrel, for we must soon part. 

Esmeralda: 
Part— Otomis ! 

Otomis: Well, at least for to-day. 

So let us talk of more agreeable things. 

Esmeralda: 

With all my heart! 

Otomis: First, let us drink a 

glass of wine together. It will revive us, 
it will exhilarate us; even if afterward 
come apathy. 

Esmeralda: As you please. Here are some 

glasses, and I will ring for the wine. 

Otomis: Oh, 

get it yourself, as you have done before. 

Esmeralda: 

I will have it here in a trice. (Exit) 

Otomis (producing vial) : 
This poison I got from an old Indian 
Medicine man ; who, it is said, in his 
magic fury could control the weather. 
The ancient Aztecs used it to envenom 
their arrowheads : it is so deadly that 
its present use is forbidden by a heavy 
penalty. I^will pour it in her glass, thus; 
and when she returns with wine, I will 
myself fill the glass and give it to her. 
So false, and yet so very beautiful. 
O, God! I can't deceive myself, I love 
her still! Hah, what is that? It looks 
like the portrait. (Unveils it) As sure as 
fate, it is. In her desperation she is 
going to show it to me, as the bad way, 
out of a worse dilemna. She has had it 
finished and sent here for that purpose. 
How could sin ever become a welcome guest, 
in this divine temple? Alas, 'tis the curse 



132 



of mortality. They say that death doth, 
of itself, fit us for heaven, (except that 
the wicked die the harder). If this be so, 
I will kill thee, and love thee there ! 

{Replaces cover: Re-enter Esmeralda) 

Esmeralda: 

Did you grow impatient? 

Otomis: No, I have been 

meditating. (She prepares to serve wine) 

Give me the decanter: I will do the 

serving. 
Esmeralda: Oh, very well: but let us drink 

it down quickly, for afterwards I have 

a surprise in store for you, my love. 

(He fills two glasses and holds them up) 
Otomis (aside): 
Haply, that I am yet part savage ; and have 
not fully mastered those divine things that 
the Christian's prophet taught ; and this act, 
that I deem but simple justice, may be ^ 
tinctured with revenge. From all intent 
of evil, good Lord, deliver me ! 

Esmeralda: Come, give 

me the glass. 

Otomis: Now, after a short toast, 

we will drink. (Hands her glass) What's that! 

(Just after she takes glass, Alfredo 
peers in the open ivindow, and zvith a 
startled whisper draws his revolver: he 
vanishes when his presence is suspected) 

Esmeralda: 
What did you hear? 

Otomis: A noise there, at the 

open window : it must have been only my 
fancy. — Now, dear, may this rare beverage, 
(even though it is made of ingredients whose 
origin is commonly attributed to the devil) 
lift your soul into paradise ! 

Esmeralda: You ask too 

much of wine. 

Otomis: Nay, by the rood, not when 

it is as craftily qualified as that. 

(Alfredo has reappeared at the window, 
and as they raise glasses to drink, he 
levels revolver and tires, shattering 
the glass in Esmeralda's hand) 



Esmeralda: 

Saints of mercy! some one fired a shot, 
through the open window and shattered the 
glass in my hand! 

Otomis: A marvel ! Seems like 

the intervention of Divine Providence. 
I don't know whether to be glad or sorry: 
my brain reels — I can't think : O, God, what 
suffering, loss of faith in you has brought! 
I must have forgetfulness I If there be a 
river lethe ; one drink of whose waters 
brings oblivion: I will find it! (Falls) 

(Enter Alfredo and Soldiers through the open 
windoiv, and some Servants through the door. 
Otomis is placed in a chair) 

Alfredo: That is a bad case of vertigo; and 
came from overtaxing the brain : he had it 
once before: he will soon come round. 
Senorita, your pardon, please, for this rude 
intrusion : we came here to save you : thank 
God, I hurried a little ahead of the n.en : 
you had a narrow escape. I think the wine 
was poisoned. 

Esmeralda: Poisoned ! 

Alfredo: Yes, he told me 

he was coming here for that purpose, and 
showed me the vial. I did not believe him 
of course, but took no chances. Hah! here 
is the empty vial in his vest pocket. 

Esmeralda: 

Could he have the heart to kill me ! 

(She faints, and Servants carry her out) 

Alfredo: 

He is reviving : he must not see me : 
when I am gone take him away. (Exit) 

I Soldier: 
Come, General. 

Otomis: Where? 

I Soldier: To prison. 

Otomis: Who are 

you ? And whose authority doth cite me 
there ? 

I Soldier: The Emperor Maximilian's, sir. 
The French have taken the City. 

Otomis: That news, 

fills my cup of sorrow to the brim, and 
overflowing. Take me to prison, as a 
fitting climax to a day of horrors! (Exeunt) 



ACT IV 



Scene I. — A Court within the Prison. 

(Enter Rodriguez disguised as a Priest, and 
Esmeralda) 

Esmeralda: This gloomy dungeon, fills my soul 
with dread. There is no pity in these stones: 
they are inured to degradation, sorrow, and 
to — death. 



Rodriguez: Both innocent and guilty, have 

buried their hopes, within these walls; as 

in a sepulchre. 
Esmeralda: Rodriguez, what spacious 

room is this? 
Rodriguez: The inner court of the prison: 

a sort of waiting room for those that wish 

to visit cells. 



133 



Esmeralda: Have mercy ! It is not true, 
that my beloved Otomis must suffer death 1 

Rodriguez: 

Alas, too true ; if our frail plan to aid 
him fails. 

Esmeralda: How much of life, may he now 
call his own? 

Rodriguez: He dies in a quarter of 

an hour. 
Esmeralda: O, horror! such an infinitesimal 

interval as that, betwixt him and the 

approaching doom. Where is he confined? 
Rodriguez: That 

iron grating back there, leads to a corridor, 

which fronts his cell, and many another 

like it. 
Esmeralda: I pleadingly besought the prison 

keeper to let me see him ; but he was 

obdurate. 
Rodriguez: No one is admitted ; except the 

Priest, who, at the last minute, shrives 

the soul of the condemned man. 



Esmeralda: 
for what? 

Rodriguez: 
whatever. 



Condemned !- 
He hath committed no crime. 



None 



He was captured at your home 
by the foe, when they took the City some 
weeks ago ; and being a genuine belligerent, 
was simply a prisoner of war : but Alfredo, 
whom the Emperor Maximilian appointed to 
the chief command of the army, had him 
tried by court-martial, found guilty, and 
sentenced to be shot. 

Esmeralda: Alfredo, again: doth 

such another villain live. Your confession 
of the deception practiced upon Otomis 
at the studio, at his instigation, amazed 
me ; but this is a bloody fault. 

Rodriguez: His power 

is also great in this military prison, 
and he has used it to the utmost. It has 
ever been the custom to loose the prisoner 
from restraining bonds, during the last sad 
rites — the priestly ministrations: but he, 
in hot hate, hath commanded that Otomis' 
handcuffs be kept on. 

Esmeralda: This merciless demon, 

has no chains upon his body, but 'tis sure 
his soul's enfettered. 

Rodriguez: Happily, this malice 

works to our advantage: for I propose with 
this tool, (He takes out a Hie) to file 
through and sever the chain that connects 
the two handcuffs: leaving them still on 
the wrists, but setting his hands and arms, 
at liberty. 

Esmeralda: But the filing is a very risky 
task : if they should take them off, he would 
be free anyhow. 



Rodriguez: In that case, after I left, 

they would replace them : no prisoner is 
led forth to execution, without handcuffs 
on. 

Esmeralda: Ah, I perceive. 

Rodriguez: While filing the 

chain, I will post him as to the method 
of escape. With his arms behind him, and 
believed to be securely bound together, 
he will be led through that iron grating 
into this room, and through the door there, 
out into the hall. That is the main hall, 
and in one direction leads to the place 
of execution, and in the other direction 
leads to the street : it is patrolled by 
two guards — when he reaches the hall, 
he will make a dash for freedom. 

Esmeralda: It is 

a desperate chance. 

Rodriguez: The situation admits 

of no other ; such chances sometimes succeed. 

Esmeralda: 

My prayers may avail something. 

Rodriguez : And mine — 

for you know that I am a Priest, (at least 
for the nonce). Did my appearance surprise 
you? 

Esmeralda: You wrote me about your plan, but 
said nothing about the disguise : when I 
entered the prison office just now, and 
beheld you arrayed in priestly garb, I 
was astounded. 

Rodriguez: May the good Lord, grant me 

pardon, for this impious masquerading: but 
there was no other way. Here was my friend, 
lying in prison and soon to be shot, and 
I had grievously wronged him : to rid my 
soul of this foul blot, I came here yesterday 
to confess to him, as I have done to you : 
in response to my enquiry, they told me 

that none would be admitted, but a Priest 

at the warning bell, ten minutes before 
the execution: grasping at a straw, and 
acting under impulse, I replied that I 
intended to act in that capacity 

Esmeralda: Did they 

offer any objections? 

Rodriguez: Not much : but it was 

stipulated that the handcuffs were to 
remain on. Afterwards, the thought came to 
me, why not try and set him free? and I 
determined to make the attempt. 

Esmeralda Listen, 

to the bell ! 

Rodriguez: That is the warning bell : and 
here come two guards. {Enter two Soldiers) 

I Soldier: 
You are the Priest, who waits upon the 
condemned man, Otomis? 



134 



Rodriguez: 
I Soldier: 



Yes, sir. 



Come with 



Rodriguez {taking Esmeralda aside) Of course 
you wanted to be here: it is the proper 
place for a true girl like you : when your 
love's in danger, your place is by his side: 
but know that your longer presence, is like 
to endanger our project : so hie you home, 
you will learn the issue soon. (Exit Esmer. 
the Soldiers take Rodriguez through iron 
grating, soon return, and exeunt) 

{Enter Alfredo in uniform of Generalissimo.) 

Alfredo: 

Now, to the fates who have enriched me thus, 
I fain would quaff a glass of wine oblation 1 
Generalissimo, by the grace of the Emperor, 
as a reward of treachery ; who dares to say, 
that a villain never prospers? With the 
capture of this City, all opposition to 
the Empire ended: except an army at 
. San Luis Potosi, which is fighting for the 
deposed President Juarez, and his Junta. 
The coronation is only a few weeks old, 
and already his Majesty's Court is regal 
in its magnificence: there, beauty reigns 
supreme: and a host of elegant courtiers, 
vie with each other in arrant subserviency, 
sycophancy, and flattery. Don Antonio, 
is highly honored: and Esmeralda, is the 
favorite of the Empress. Outside of love, 
the reasons grow, that make me frantic to 
possess her: she must help me to rise 
still higher. — Otomis is soon to die, and 
the time is ripe for me to gloat over 
his miseries. {Rings a bell) Now is the 
cherished hatred of many years, crowned 
with a most ample revenge ; and all the 
sharp pangs of envious ambition, buried 
in an ocean of success. {Enter Warden) 
Warden, conduct me into the cell of the 
man, Otomis. 

Warden: The Priest is in there now, 

but he will soon be out. 

Alfredo: What, a Priest! 

Warden: Yes, your honor. 

Alfredo: Damn it, sir, who 

engineered this? 

Warden: It is the usual custom: 

but would have been omitted, had we known 
that you objected. Your commands o'ersway 
all others. 

Alfredo: I will not wait for him long: 
when I get impatient to go in, I will 
ring again. Leave me. {Exit Warden) 
A Priest, eh? That sets one a thinking — 
The bloody Macbeth, feared detection here, 
only, and scorned the justice of the 
world to come: but wise men look askance 
at such philosophy, and incline them to 
the Christian view, that crimes remaining 



unpardoned here, must pay the toll hereafter. 
Pshaw, I will not bother my head with it, 
for where is the criminally inclined man, 
who will forgo his crime, because of the 
retribution sure to follow? {Re-enter the 
Warden and two Soldiers) 

Warden: I am come to 

escort you in, after allowing the Clerigo, 
another minute. 

Alfredo: Another minute, nothing: 

we will go in now. {They start) But stay, 
why not bring him out here? 

Warden: It will be done, 

if you prefer to have it that way. 

Alfredo: I do, 

decidedly: this court is not quite so 
dismal as a cell : but mark me, see you 
to it that he is securely handcuffed, 
for I am going to tell him something 
that will make him wish to kill me. 

Warden: Egad, 

at this very minute his arms are bound 
together as tight as a drum. {Exeunt the 
Warden and Soldiers) 

Alfredo: If he shows fight; 

besides my sword, I have a pistol in this 
holster. {Re-enter Warden and Soldiers with 
Otomis, Rodriguez following) 

Rodriguez: Be on your 

guard, it is Alfredo. I had only told you 
a part of his villainies, when we were 
interrupted. {Exit covertly to escape 
detection by Alfredo) 

Alfredo: Warden, leave us 

alone together: turn the key behind you, 
and remain on the outside : when I am done, 
I will knock upon the door. 

Warden: You will find 

the three of us attentive to your call. 

{Exeunt Warden and Soldiers) 

Alfredo: {advancing) 

Dear Otomis, you are 
about to be shot, and I am distracted! 
These eyes, albeit, unused to the 
melting mood, are full of crocodile tears. 

Otomis: 
You have aptly termed them, sir. 

Alfredo: You have 

confessed to the Priest ; and I must needs 
confess to you, to the commission of 
some sins against you, that are in striking 
contrast to the purity of my soul. But 
first let me ask you if you have not 
some message to send to Esmeralda? 

Otomis: What 

kind of a message? 

Alfredo: Oh, something tender; 

something pathetic ; but couched only in 
such terms, as would be proper to address 
to my future wife. 



135 



Otomis: Hah ! you seek to wed 

her yourself? That Httle glimpse you give 
me of your foul nature, suggests the rank 
corruption that lies hid behind. 

Alfredo: I am 

sorry that your imagination endowed me 
with virtues that I possess not. 

Otomis: Then all 

your boasted friendship for me, was naught 
but the hypocritical pretense of a 
scoundrel. 

Alfredo: Friendship — ha, ha! I never had 
much for anyone ; but least of all for you. 
Listen : — Young soldier comrades together, 
during the United States war, and some 
years thereafter; you gained the prize that 
I coveted, and I hated you: then you 
won the heart of the girl that I loved, 
and I cursed you : then you chastised me, 
at Don Antonio's home, and I determined 
to kill you ! — You are no doubt amazed at 
this revelation of duplicity : your faith 
in me is shattered : your lips are full 
of questions as to what I have done against 
you : — no, you are dumb : then let me catechise 
myself. Who was it that with the aid of 
his harlot Perdita and Rodriguez, arranged 
the fictitious studio sitting, and deluded 
the jealous Otomis? Why, Alfredo. 

Otomis: You cur! 

Alfredo: Who was it that told Otomis a 
wicked lie, and made him believe that the 
pure Esmeralda was the strumpet of Rafael? — 
Why, Alfredo. 

Otomis: Monumental liar! 

Alfredo: Who was it 

that betrayed the City into the hands 
of the French? Why, Alfredo. 

Otomis: Dog of a traitor! 

Alfredo: Who was it that in the trial of 
Otomis, compelled the court-martial to 
change their verdict of "not guilty" to 
"guilty" ? — Why, Alfredo. 

Otomis: Damned slave! 

(He starts forward and Alfredo draws pistol) 

Alfredo: 

Do you see this uniform exactly like 

the one you now wear? In both the gorgeous 

and glittering hues do denote the oiifice 

of Generalissimo. You wear yours only 

by my command, so that even jn death, 

you may bemoan lost glory 

Otomis: I marveled much, 

why I was allowed to keep it on. 

Alfredo: I wear mine, 

by the grace of the Emperor Maximilian. 

Otomis: 
And as the reward for damned apostasy! 

Alfredo: 
Curse you ! I ought to shoot you dovhi 



like a dog ; but I dare not risk it ; — 
and yet I might say that it was in 
self-defence. Oh, how I would like to 
cuff your face. {Advances towards him with 
leveled pistol, and strikes him with other 
arm: Otomis then moves his hands from 
behind, knocks the pistol away, and chokes 
him into insensibility) 

Otomis: Now to unbuckle 

the belt, and put his sword on : thus — 
then put on his helmet, and pull it down 
over my eyes — then a knock on the door, 
the only way of egress. Alfredo's signal, 
but a false Alfredo — almost sure to be 
detected. (He knocks, and Soldiers enter) 

Warden: 
Have you finished with him ? 

Otomis: Yes. 

Warden (seing prostrate man) : Thunder! 
what's the matter? 

Otomis: He's sulking: let him 

alone till the bell rings. He got ugly, 
and I had to choke him a little. (Exit) 

Warden: 

Yes, he is safe enough here, as I will 
lock the door and take the key. (Exeunt) 

Alfredo (coming to): 

Those cruel fingers robbed me of my senses. 
Where is he ? Damnation, he has escaped ! 
Ho, there I ho, there without. (He knocks) 
No answer — I'll beat on it with my sword: 
the devil, it is gone — and my helmet too : 
I see it clearly — he personated me ; and 
the fools fell for it : they let him out, 
and locked me in to await the death bell. 
Hark! there it goes. (Bell rings) Solemn 
sound — it fills my wicked heart with dread. 
(Re-enter Warden and Soldiers) 

Warden: What, Alfredo! 

Alfredo: Yes, Alfredo, you idiots : that devil, 
choked me almost to death: put on my traps, 
and escaped. 

Warden: Escaped ! 

Alfredo: Damn it, don't stand 

there like statues ! put your minions on his 
track ! 

Wai-den: Ring the alarm bell! — Away. (Exeunt) 



Scene II. — The Convent de la Cruz, in the 
background, and Burial ground, in the 
foreground : some Soldiers and cannon are 
seen near the Convent in the distance. 

(Enter a General and a Colonel) 

Colonel: It is a sorry sight. General Lopez, 
to see the walls of this sacred old Convent, 
bristling with cannon. 

General: Yes indeed. Colonel: 

but standing as it does upon the outskirts 
of the Capital, it has to be fortified, 
now that we are besieged. 



136 



Colonel: Of course. 

General: It will 

avail nothing, however. 

Colonel: Why not? 

General: Simply 

because, the Empire is doomed. 
Colonel: What makes 

you think that? 
General: The armies of the Republic, 

are winning battles everywhere: one army 

in particular. 
Colonel: . You mean the army led by 

the unknown General ; who has now come 

to be universally known by the singular 

title of "The Stranger." 
General: The same. 

Colonel: Why do 

they call him that? 
General: No one knows from 

whence he came. 
Colonel: Friends and foes alike, are 

curious to see this marvel: myself among 

the number. 
General: If you hang around here, you 

may get a glimpse of him : that is if he 

puts in an appearance. 
Colonel: He is expected 

here in this graveyard. 
General: Yes — Alfredo, has 

arrived, and by his orders, I sent a 

flag-of-truce messenger to the enemy, 

to ask their General to meet him here. 
Colonel: 

But the army which is besieging this city, 

may not be his command. 
General: It undoubtedly is, 

for yesterday we received a written demand 

for surrender, signed with that laconic 

signature. 
Colonel: Does Alfredo intend to treat 

with him? 
General: I don't know ; I did not dare 

to ask him : his exalted rank, has made 

him more arrogant than ever. 
Colonel: He is now 

a "Marshal of Mexico." 
General: A new military 

dignity, created for his especial benefit. 
Colonel: 

The Emperor delights to honor him. 
General: Maximilian, 

is quite handsome, whole souled, dignified, 

courteous ; and in every way a worthy scion, 

of the illustrious house of Hapsburg. He 

is but little older than Alfredo, and is 

attracted to him by his youth, and apparent 

excellence: unaware that a man can be foul 

in all things, and yet put on the brows of 

grace. 



Colonel: By implication, your words show 
Alfredo to be a villain : such a one, 
might be guilty of treachery. 

General: Treachery, 

is no doubt what he had in mind when 
he sent for the enemy. 

Colonel: But how can he 

carry it out? 

General: Why the very soldiers that 

defend this Convent are so mutinous, 
that a word from Alfredo, would make them 
open the gates at once. — There goes a signal, 
at the graveyard gate: the expected party, 
may have arrived: let us go and see 

(Exeunt at right) 
(Enter Alfredo) 

Alfredo: Not here yet — and I am in no mood, 
to brook delay. Will he come, I wonder? 
this cursed General, who in a few short 
months has won so many brilliant victories, 
that vast hordes of citizens and soldiers, 
are flocking to the Republic's cause ; and 
all the several States that compose Mexico, 
are under their control ; except this City ; 
and another assault like that of yesterday, 
will give them this. I hate the Republic, 
with its humility; and love the Empire, 
with its splendor: besides it hath richly 
ministered to my love ; and to my ambition ; 
those twin-born stars of dazzling destinies: 
am I not a Marshal in the army : am I not 
to wed the fair Esmeralda to-night ? What can 

the Republic give me ? Death ! a gallows : 

for the President and Junta, have sentenced 
me to be hanged, upon capture. 
Humph, notwithstanding this, there is naught 
left me, but to make the best terms I cari ; 
and betray the Empire, as I did the Republic. 

(Exit at left) 

(Re-enter General, with Otomis and his Body- 
guard, a squad of soldiers) 

General: Just remain here a moment, if you 
please, your Excellency, I will bring the 
Marshal to you. Ah, I see him there by 
the trees. (Exit at left) 

Otomis: There is the Convent de la Cruz : or to 
speak it English, the Convent of the Cross: 

and this is the Burial ground. 

Here will I walk amidst these solemn graves ; 
and meditate upon the mutability of life. 
Good heavens ! what is this ? A monument, 
with this memorial carved upon it : "Sacred 
to the memory of Otomis, who died in battle, 
and whose lost bones still lie somewhere 
interred on the battlefield. A worthy man, 

and a brave soldier." 

What kind friend has reared this marble shaft ; 
and placed upon it a flattering epitaph? 
It speaks truth: for Otomis is dead and 
buried to the world : and I am now only 
known by the appellation of "The Stranger." 
Reaching San Luis Potosi, after my escape 



137 



from prison, I was frantic to communicate 
with Esmeralda. How I fretted over the 
delay in gaining my messenger's admittance 
into the city : a month had elapsed before 
I reached her. I wrote her a most loving 
letter, asking forgiveness, and renewing 
my vows of fidelity: with express commands 
that the missive should be delivered into 
her own hands ; which was done, and my 

messenger brought back her answer. ■ 

Such an answer: O, those cruel words are 
stereotyped in my memory! "Forget me, 
I am unworthy of you. I love you still, 
and always shall love you: but the glories 

■ of the Court, have fascinated me : moreover, 
father insists that I marry a title. 

Farewell, Esmeralda." 
O, the horror of that moment! — Let me 
recall what I did afterwards. With the 
aid of a little war-paint, I copied the 
features of a dead soldier who closely 
resembled me, and changed identity, and 
uniform : had the report of my death, 
published in the Army and Navy Journal, 
and copied in the papers of the Capital : 
applied for and received command of an 
army, to whom I was a stranger. Did that 
conduct savor of insanity? Well, perhaps: 
and yet, thank God, I have won many battles 
for the Republic. 

(Re-enter Alfredo and General) 

Alfredo: Am I addressing The Stranger? 

Otomis: Yes, 

your honor. (Aside) Hah, Alfredo! 

Alfredo: Pray 

excuse me for .being tardy. 

Otomis: Do not mention 

it, I beg of you. 

Alfredo (aside): Where have I met this 
man before? — I am Alfredo, a Marshal of 
Mexico. 

Otomis: I salute your Excellency! 

Alfredo: Now, 

we will proceed at once to business. 
I sent for you, to offer certain terms 
of capitulation. 

Otomis: Ah, indeed! What are 

they? 

Alfredo: Very simple, and easily to be 
granted. There is a sentence, of death on 
capture, hanging over my head. 

Otomis: I know 

that. 

Alfredo: I shall insist upon a full pardon. 

Otomis: 
Very naturally. Anything else? 

Alfredo: Yes. 

I am to be married to-night, at the 
Palace of the Emperor. 

Otomis: Lucky man! Might 

I ask to whom ? 



Alfredo: To the fairest girl in 

the Capital: Don Antonio's daughter; 
Esmeralda. 

Otomis (aside): Merciful heavens! Now are 
the waters gone over my soul. 

Alfredo: What ails 

you. General? 

Otomis: A sharp pain — some momentary 

weakness : a mere trifle. 

Alfredo: You appear much 

moved. (Aside) His actions are very strange. 
Who is this man ? And why does he fear to 
reveal his true identity? 

Otomis: So you are 

to be married to-night. I would give much 
to attend that wedding. 

Alfredo: Nothing would give 

me greater pleasure, than your presence 
there. Will you come? 

Otomis: I thank you heartily! 

but I am afraid I can't. (Aside) In thought, 
I am being attracted there, as the magnet 
. is to the pole. Now for the rest of the 
conditions. 

Alfredo: Only this: that in order to • 
have this ceremony pass off without any 
interference, the capitulation be fixed 
upon for to-morrow. 

Otomis: We will agree to 

that. 

Alfredo: And the pardon, for myself: the 
remission of the death penalty? 

Otomis (aside) : This man, 

is her choice ; he is to be her husband : 
but sentiment must not prevail over duty. 
Yet, villain, that he hath shown himself ; 
he may have repented ; and seeks to make 
reparation for the wrong to the Republic. 
Yes, we will agree to that, also. 

Alfredo: Good! 

Then to-morrow I will open the Convent 
gates, and secretly admit your forces, 
into the City. 

Otomis: I will not enter into 

any dishonorable bargain. Marshal, 
allow me to bid you "good day." (He walks 
over to his Bodyguard) 

Alfredo: The devil ! that walk- 

and that face? why it is Otomis! — I will 
have him come to my wedding, arrest him 

as a spy, and shoot him like a dog. 

General, one word: — You can't refuse to 
grant an armistice: a suspension of all 
hostilities until to-morrow. 

Otomis (aside): That is not 

an unreasonable request. This man is far 
from being trustworthy ; but I can caution 
our soldiers to be on their guard against 
a treacherous attack. (To Alfredo) Yes, 
I will agree to an armistice. 



138 



Alfredo: Neither side, 

to strike a blow before to-morrow's sunrise. 

Otomis: 
So be it. 

Alfredo: You will be a wedding guest? 

Otomis: 
Let me consider. {Aside) If he hasn't 
recognized me, she won't. I would like 
to have a word with her before she weds ; 
and know that all is well. It may be a 
matter of coercion, and not her own 
free will. Devils are not attractive to 
angels :— and women are essentially noble, 
in spite of their whims. {To Alfredo) What 
is the time of the ceremony? 

Alfredo: Nine o'clock, 

to-night. Be here promptly at eight, and 
General Lopez, there, will escort you 
thither. 

Otomis: Many thanks, for your courtesy. 

{Exeunt Otomis and his Bodyguard, followed 
by General Lopez) 

Alfredo: Ha, ha! "The Stranger," eh? 

No one but Otomis, with his visage stained 
a little by dyestufifs. My hated rival ; and 
the Empire's most dangerous foe. The fool, 
walks right into the trap : he shan't escape 

me this time. What else? Ah, I have it: 

An armistice now, the foe will have no fear ; 
we'll strike as soon as darkness does appear. 

{Exit) 

Scene III. — A Room of State in Maximilian's Palace. 
{Enter three Courtiers) 

1 Courtier: This fellow, Alfredo: an upstart, 
a mere parvenu, is to be married here in 
the Palace, to-night. O, fickle fortune — 
lucky the star, indeed, that sets up beggars, 
by the side of Kings. 

2 Courtier: Does he not occupy, 
the loftiest place in the army? We are 
Courtiers: and being such, we are inclined, 
to envy, and the gout. 

3 Courtier: To hold that ceremony 
here, is an odd proceeding at the best ; 

but more odd still, when we consider the 
Empire's decline and fall : whose enemies, 
swarm as numerous as the autumnal leaves, 
in Vallombrosa. 

1 Courtier: Maximilian's rise, was as 
spectacular, and his fall, too, as Mulciber's : 
who when thrown from heaven, fell from morn 
to noon, from noon to dewy eve, and lit 

like a comet on the Aegean Sea. 

2 Courtier: And what 
a dark shame it is: for the Court of 

this Emperor of Mexico, does vie in 
dazzling splendor, with those of the crowned 
heads of Europe. 

3 Courtier: That is true enough. 
He brought over, a number of foreign 



Lords and Ladies, with him. 

2 Courtier: Yes — and our 
own citizens of noble descent, the Grandees: 
who may wear their headgear even in the 
presence of a King: to some of these he 
restored their abolished titles: (ourselves 
amongst the number). 

I Courtier: The Saints preserve him ! 

And he has done as much for the Hidalgos: 
men only a grade lower in dignity. 

3 Courtier: Life, 
for us, and for all who are regal enough, 
to have the entree her^ of the palace, 

has been one continual round of splendor, 
luxury and gayety : — Fetes, receptions, 
dinners, dances, ad libitum — and now we 
are like to lose it. 

1 Courtier: Alas, it is the 
common lot, of those who dote on dust. 
With the Titan's lust — we woo a Goddess, 
and when we seek to clasp her in our 
fond embrace — we find her, (like the cup 
of Tantalus) always just beyond our reach. 

2 Courtier: 

This hall of state, is deserted as yet ; 

but no doubt we will find a gay throng, 

in the reception chamber: — come. {Exeunt) 

{Enter Rafael, Rodriguez, and Alfredo) 

Alfredo: Congratulate me, Gentlemen! This, 
is my wedding night. 

Rafael: Lucky man! — You have 

carried off the prize. 

Alfredo: Well you had an 

equal chance ; but you were too slow. 
Rodriguez, here, looked like the winner, 
for a while : — You should have heard her, ah. 

Rodriguez: 

Bah! {aside) That Ah! — was coined in the 
mint of his own imagination. I spent a 
small fortune to deck her in diamonds, 
and he sold them, and pocketed the proceeds. 

Rafael {looking around): 

What a lovely sight ! — Shall we remain here, 
Alfredo? 

Alfredo: No: — The bride, myself, and some 
friends, naturally, want to get a glimpse 
of this room, before the actual ceremony. 
Now, please leave me : I have some odds 
and ends that must be seen to. 

{Exeunt Rafael and Rodriguez) 
If being jealous is a sign of love, 
Then I must really be in love. But, no: 
jealousy is the putrid offspring of lust. 
To be jealous, is to be in hell: and 
that is the devil's domain. By heaven, 
I am resolved, he shall not speak to her — 
the old love may still be burning. 

{Enter Manuel) 
Manuel: Has the resurrected Otomis, put in 
an appearance? 



139 



Alfredo: Not yet, Manuel. 

Manuel: When he 

enters here, he walks blindfold into the 
lion's lair : — you intend to seize him ? 

Alfredo: 

That is my intention : but damn it, I 
can't see my way clear. 

Manuel: Why not? 

Alfredo: Maximilian, 

is very chivalrous, and will sternly forBid 
the slightest departure from the strictest 
code of honor. The person, of any one 
coming here by invitation, would be held 
by him, inviolable; were it the archfiend, 
himself. 

Manuel: Then you must maintain that he is 
an interloper: and came here without an 
invitation. 

Alfredo: By Jove! that's a happy thought, 

Manuel, and I will act upon it. 

Manuel: Why didn't 

you get some assassin to give him his 
quietus, on the way here? 

Alfredo: I thought of that: 

but it is too vulgar — and besides, might 
get me into trouble. But I shall surely 
resort to it, if my plans fail, and he 
leaves this place in safety. But never fear, 
arrest him I shall : — fate will point the way. 

Manuel: 
Even then, he will have to be given trial : 
He can't be shot now. 

Alfredo: I'll kill him to-night: 

and try him in the morning. 

Manuel: Upon my soul! 

once in your custody, you can do that. 
The trial would be a farce, anyhow : and 
no one would care to tattle : — In the army, 
your word — is law: and even the most reckless, 
care not to gainsay it. {Exeunt) 

{Enter Otomis and General Lopez) 

Lopes: This is the throne room, General; 
where the marriage fete occurs. These walls, 
are frescoed in the rainbow's lovely hues; — 
a flower garden is transplanted here ; and 
from above come the sweet sounds of music. 

Otomis: 
The music of my soul is in a minor key, 
like unto that mournful air — "the miserere." 

{Enter Esmeralda. She is preoccupied, and does 
not obserz'e Otomis and Lopez) 

Esmeralda: My love is dead : and my fond hopes, 
like withered flowers, bestrew his grave. 
Beside the lonely Convent de la Cruz — 
there stands a monument, by me set up — 
and often do I lave it with my tears! 

Otomis: 
O, bliss that knows no bounds! — She did it: 
that "in memoriam" tomb, was all her work. 



Esmeralda {still to herself): 

Now, my own — now, I must be faithless to 
your memory: or disobey the stern mandate, 
of my father ! — They may part us awhile, 
Dear Otomis : but we will meet above. 

Otomis {advancing): 

{Aside) Those words are as soothing to my 

parched soul, as the dewdrops to the daisy! 

Pardon me, I heard you speak of Otomis — 

lady? 
Esmeralda: Yes, Senor. But why do you ask? 

{Eagerly) Did you know him? 
Otomis: Yes, lady, I 

knew him well : — at least I thought so — 

about as well as I know — myself. 
Esmeralda: Oh, Senor, 

did you ever hear him speak of — of me: 

of Esmeralda? 
Otomis: Very, very often. 

Esmeralda: Dare I — 

may I ask you, to what effect? 
Otomis: That he — 

loved you from his heart of hearts! 
Esmeralda {after a pause): I turned away — 

to blush unseen. Did — did he talk thus, 

to the end? 
Otomis: To the very moment that he 

vanished from the sight of men. 
Esmeralda: Thank God! — 

I owe you an apology: — You must, you do, 

deem me inquisitive: this is my excuse: 

We loved each other ; we were betrothed ; 

we were soon to wed: when his false friend; 

viewing our felicity with a fiend's eye ; 

by artful trick, made me appear a strumpet. 
Otomis: 

He grieved often and much over that 

sad episode. 
Esmeralda: The true quality of love, 

is often tested, thus. Alas, I would have 

staked my life upon his faith in me! 

{Reflectively) Yet the proofs were strong. 
Otomis: 

Perhaps much stronger than you know of. 
Esmeralda: 

That has ever been my dread. One, Rodriguez, 

an accessory in the plot I spoke of ; 

confessed to me : and had partly confessed 

to him : when he was interrupted by the 

jailors. — You knew he was in prison? 
Otomis: Yes — 

only too well. 
Esmeralda: After his escape, thence; 

I looked for a letter ; but the weary days 

passed, and no message ever came. He died, 

(sad end) in doubt of my fidelity. 
Otomis: Weep not, 

fair lady. The thrice villainous Alfredo ; 

to gloat over his victim's miseries, 

just ere death, (as he fondly supposed) — 



140 



absolved your fair fame, from all his 
foul slanders. I swear Otomis loved you! 
and were he here — my words would be 
his own. 

Esmeralda: A cankering doubt, that seemingly 
must have remained so forever, you have 
removed : and O, so happily ! I thank you ! — 
But were you such a friend, as to know 
so much of him? — even his secret thoughts? 

Otomis: 
I was with him every day. — After escaping, 
He wrote you a letter, wherein he tried, 
to make the pen speak as well as the voice, 
the tender accents of a greater love ; 
but owing to the difficulty of entrance 
to the Capital, it was a month before 
his messenger returned with an answer, 
signed with the name he loved so well. 
I am sure that answer, had much to do 
with his death. 

Esmeralda: Amazing ! 

heartrending! There has been more villainy, 
here. I never sent that answer — nor did 
I receive his letter. (Enter Don Antonio) 
There comes father: I must leave you, Senor. 
Your presence here, has blessed me: nothing 
can ever make me untrue to him now! — 
I swear it. {She joins her father: Exeunt) 

Otomis: 
And she will keep her word. O, ecstasy ! 
That letter was a lie: and the mighty 
stream of my love, cleared of impediments, 
sweeps onward to the ocean. After the war, 
I shall reveal myself to her; and then 

{Enter Alfredo) 

Alfredo: Ah, General, you and Lopez have 
arrived. I am so glad. 

Otomis: Five minutes ago. 

Lopez kindly brought me here to see the 
sights. But I am ill at ease: I have 
grave doubts about my makeup. I fear that 
I am not costumed au fait: — this long cloak. 
But you see I have on an undress uniform, 
of the Republic's army ; and am forced 
to wear the cloak to conceal it. 

Alfredo: In the 

best of taste I assure you. Long cloaks, 
and — liberty, are coming back in fashion: 
some folks think they cannot get along 
without them — the sword was never out of 
vogue; the devil patronizes that. 

Lopez: Ha, ha! 

{Alfredo leads them out, but lingers behind) 

Alfredo: 

Fate is kind : — a rebel uniform, concealed 
by a cloak : it will be easy to convince 
the Emperor that he is a spy. I will 
unmask him : but not before the nuptial-knot 
has bound her fast to me. li she know 
aught of it ; his death will draw her closer 
to him. {Exit) 



Music: — and enter the Court and Guests, consisting 
of the home and foreign Nobility, Ambassadors, 
Church Dignitaries, Courtiers, Soldiers, etc. 
They form into gracefid groups, and a few 
of the ladies promenade with Gentlemen. 
Then enter Rafael with Rodriguez — Don Antonio — 

Manuel zvith Otomis — Alfredo — in the order named. 

Alfredo (aside): 

I sent Lopez home : he is dangerous. 
He knows that Otomis is no spy, but 
an invited guest : and he is too honest 
to stand by and see him falsely accused. 

A March: — and enter Maximilian, and his Retinue. 
He ascends the Throne; and bows to the 
assemblage: zvho warned by the music, had 
formed into columns of attentive homage, 
just prior to his entrance. 

Assemblage: 

L'Emperador ! — The Emperor ! — 

Maximilian: Aye, every inch an Emperor ! 

When I do frown, see how my subjects quake. — 
Soldiers : bring forth those repentant culprits ; 
who weary grown of opposition to our will, 
now sue for mercy. (Tzvo soldiers bring forth 
a man, who kneels) What was thy crime? 

Suppliant: 
A rebel. Sire. 

Maximilian: Rebellion. Why should he die? 

I grant you pardon. Die for rebellion? no: — 
The history of Mexico, is naught but a 
chronicle of rebellion! 

Suppliant: May heaven bless you. 

Sire! 

Maximilian: Good and faithful subjects all! 
as you are aware, our Consort, and your 
beloved Empress, Carlotta (the daughter 
of the King of Belgium) who sailed the 
seas to Napoleon — to ask his Majesty 
not to withdraw his troops — the main prop 
of our Throne — has failed in her mission — 
and yesterday, the French army — wound their 
way — like a "ribbon of steel" — along the 
highway that leads to the coast — and there 
embarked, for France, (a pause) 
The soldiers of the Republic, are everywhere 
overwhelmingly triumphant: and deeming 
further struggles, futile: We to-day took 
up the pen, to sign an abdication ; — but 

Our hand was stayed, by some loyal friends. 

The skies are dark: — what is to be my fate? 
Be it death ; that path by many rulers trod ; 
I am content : — It is the will of God. 

Assemblage: 

Viva L'Emperador! — Long live the Emperor! — < — 

Maximilian: A word, now, 

about the fair lady ; and the brave soldier ; 
who are to be united in holy matrimony. 
Esmeralda, was always a favorite of the 
Empress ; and Alfredo, is marshal of our 
armies ; it seemed to us, therefore, most 
appropriate and proper to have the ceremony, 



141 



take place here in the Palace. 

Don Antonio, are you ready to proceed? 
Don Antonio: Yes, 

your Majesty. I will go and give the word. 
{Exit Don Antonio, followed by Alfredo) 

{Enter Secretary with a scroll in his hand: 
he advances and makes obeisance) 
Secretary: Your Majesty. 
Maximilian: What have you there, 

Senor ? 
Secretary: Some news: just came to hand. 
Maximilian: Good! 

Let me see it. ( Takes scroll and reads it) 

Dear Friends. This paper, just handed to me 

by my Secretary, probably explains why the 

Emperor Napoleon, withdrew the French army 

from Mexico. It is a copy of a letter, 

sent by the Secretary of State of the 

United States, to their ambassador at 

Paris. I will read it. {Reads) 

Sir: — I send you herewith a copy of the unanimous 
resolution passed in the House of Representatives the 
fourth instant. It comprises the opposition of this 
body to any recognition of a monarchy in Mexico. It 
is scarcely necessary, after what I have previously 
written you, to say that this resolution sincerely ex- 
presses the unanimous sentiment of the people of the 
United States. 

(Signed) William H. Seward, 

Secretary of State. 
{The Assemblage becomes tumultuous) 

{Re-enter Don Antonio and Alfredo: Esmeralda) 
and Melissa following) 
Don Antonio: O, Sire, let your stern wrath 

fall upon me! 
Maximilian: Why, Senor, what great offence, 

have you been guilty of? 
Don Antonio: The unpardonable sin, 

of begetting a thankless child. 
Maximilian: Wherein, 

hath she displeased you? 
Don Antonio: In refusing 

(with a resolution that recks not of life) 

to marry with Alfredo. 
Maximilian: What! — And the Priest, 

here ; the Guests assembled ; and she fully 

cognizant of all the arrangements : — has 

the moon unwitted her? Senorita, what 

have you to say to this? 
Esmeralda: Humbly begging 

your Grace's clemency ; no more than this — 

I love another. 
Maximilian: Then why engage with Alfredo? 

Why did you not marry the other ? 
Esmeralda: He is dead. 

Maximilian: Ah, very sad. 

Esmeralda: And father, out 

of his great love for me, thought he saw 

in a union with Alfredo, a cure for my 

melancholy — and pleaded with me long. 



Maximilian: 

Until — you consented? 

Esmeralda: Yes, Sire. 

Maximilian: Why did 

you so suddenly change your mind? 

Esmeralda: On account 

of a revelation. 

Alfredo: Pray answer this question — 

who was the revelator? 

Maximilian {sternly): Alfredo! 

Alfredo: Pardon me, 

Sire : your empire — yea, your very life — 
is jeapordized by silence! 

Maximilian: Speak out, then; 

and briefly. 

Alfredo: It is a short story 

The villain, a man condemned to be shot, 
escapes from prison, goes away, gives out 
a false report of his death, and with face 
disguised by paint, (a trick that the 
Aztecs are proficient in) returns to live 
here as a spy; furnishing valuable secrets, 
to the enemy. He is here, to-night ; boldly 
flaunting the rebel colors, before your 
very eyes — under cover of a cloak. 

Maximilian: Who — 

is this man? 

Alfredo: Carved on a marble monument, 

in the graveyard of the Convent de la Cruz, 
you may find an answer to that question : — 
There he stands : and his name is — Otomis. 

Esmeralda (aside): 

Otomis alive! O, do not wake me, yet — 
out of this beautiful dream — for surely, 
it cannot be aught else. 

Maximilian {slowly): A spy at Court! 

This is too monstrous for belief : you must 

have erred, Alfredo. 
Alfredo: Not so, your Majesty: 

look here. {He attempts to open Otomis cloak, 

but is waved imperiously away by Otomis, 

who takes it off and casts it aside) 
Maximilian: The rebel, 

uniform ! 
Otomis: A tyrant may call it thus — 

but rightly named, it is the uniform of 

the Republic's armies : — but I am no spy ; 

I am an honorable guest: and my name is 

Otomis. 
Esmeralda: O, bliss! O, rapture! 
Alfredo: My Liege, 

I will order his arrest. 
Maximilian: Yes, let him 

be taken into custody: and tried by 

court-martial to-morrow. 
Alfredo: But I submit — 

that he is a fugitive from justice ; 

now re-captured: and must pay the penalty, 

that he escaped, by flight: — otherwise, our 



142 



military regulations will be the laughing 

stock of nations. 
Maximilian: You are right, Marshal: — 

I too, see the law as you expound it : 

the wording of his sentence, sternly calls 

for blood. Let him be taken out and shot. 
Alfredo: 

Soldiers ! arrest this man ! 
Esmeralda: {Goes to Otomis) No! no! have mercy! 

O, God, of pity, interfere ! — They shall not 

take you from me. {He tenderly embraces her) 
Alfredo: 

Soldiers, do your duty. 
Otomis: {Draws sword) He that attacks first, 

holds his soul light — he dies upon that 

motion. 
Alfredo: {Draws sword) You infernal cowards! 

come on — I will help you ! 

(Otomis is attacked by three swordsmen, and Es- 
meralda throws herself in front of him, she is 
jerked one side by a bystander, and they fence until 
his defence is almost beaten down, when the reports 
of Hrearms are heard, and enter a battalion of 
Soldiers of the Republic, who make prisoners of 
the Empire's Soldiers: the Assemblage are terror 
stricken.) 

Battalion: Viva I'Republica! — 

Long live the Republic ! — 
Otomis: My comrades ; — say, 

what do you here? 
Battalion: Why it is "The Stranger" — 

Our beloved General! 
Otomis: The short armistice, 

made with the enemy, expired not until 

to-morrow's sunrise: — have you broken faith? 

that fittest corner-stone for great nations! 
Colonel: 

The perfidy, is the enemy's — not ours — 

The treacherous foe, in flagrant violation 

of the armistice, made a sudden attack 

upon us, which resulted in some casualties, — 

but we finally routed them, and captured 

the City. 
Otomis: This looks like the Lord's doing. 

It is marvelous in our eyes! — 

Take charge of the Emperor. {Maximilian 

has arisen from the throne and four 

Soldiers surround him) Pardon me, your 

Excellency, I must perform my duty. 
Maximilian: 

I bow with a good grace to the inevitable. 
Otomis: 

Use him kindly : but keep him under strict 

surveillance, until his fate is determined 

by President Juarez, and the Junta. — 

That man, there — arrest him, — it is 

Alfredo. 
Colonel: Ah, the man condemned to death, 

"upon capture" — He will be shot, as soon 

as the warrant is countersigned. 



Melissa: She — 

never loved you ! I will give my life, 
to save you ! Speak to me, Alfredo. 

Alfredo: Damn it! 

go away — you were always a bore to me — 
I only used you for my purposes. 

Melissa: {Sobbing loudly) This — 

this, is the man for whose sole sake I 
took Otomis' letter — from the messenger — 
wrote a reply — forged my dear mistress 
Esmeralda's name to it — and sent it back 
with the messenger ! 

Otomis: Eureka! — the missing 

letter is accounted for ! Grief has wrung 
that dark secret from her breast. That very 
letter was the cause of the false report 
of my death — it was a deathblow to hope. — 
Poor thing! She is too good a girl, to 
weep over such a man. 

Esmeralda: That confession, 

inadvertently uttered, clears away the 
last vestige of the dark pall that hung 
so long over our heads, threatening life's 
happiness : — but when it fell, it came as 
the gentle rain, upon the flowers of love: 
refreshing and strengthening them. 

Otomis: That vapor, 

dissolved — our sky is now all heavenly blue; 
a single star is out, and myriads soon 
to follow. — But you weep, Esmeralda? 

Esmeralda: Yes, 

Otomis, — tears of joy, upon your breast. 

Rafael: {approaching) 

Senorita, allow me — and you, dear friend — 
allow me to sincerely congratulate you— 
and wish you joy ! {Shakes hands) 

Rodriguez: General, 

don't you think there still might be a 
chance for a fellow ? Are you sure that you 
have got her? {They smile and shake hands) 

Otomis: 
Ah, Rodriguez, you have indeed been a 
true friend! 

Don Antonio: Senor, not your own demerit, 
but rather my pride, was the cause of 
your rejection as a suitor for my 
daughter's hand. — look at her face: it is 
a sight to make an old father's heart glad! 
Providence is wiser in these matters, 
than we are. Take her, — she is yours — 

Otomis: 
O, Senor, I know not how to speak my thanks ! 
My darling, our love has been refined, 
in the crucible of trial : and purged 
of dross, is now become pure gold. We 
have risen above the merely human, 
and taken on some of the divine. — 
O, my country! may you, too, rise like 
a phoenix from the ashes of your internecine 
strife, and soar into the brightest heaven 
of civilization! {Exeunt) 



THE THIRD TERM 



DRAMATIS PERSONAE. 



Thomas Weyler, 

Third Term President, now Dictator. 

Hubert, 

son of deceased President, and stepson to the Dictator. 

Philip Hamilton, 

Lord Chamberlain. 

Horace, 

friend to Hubert. 

Louis, 

son to Hamilton. 

Cornelius, Valentine, 

courtiers. 

Rosecrans, Gildersleeve, 

schoolfellows of Hubert, now in the pay of the 

Dictator. 

Madison, La Fontaine, 

Senators. 

Francis, Bernard, Martin, 

officers on guard duty. 

A Pastor. 

Players. 



Prologue. 
Two Sailors. 

Gaoler. 

Two Guards. 

General of Union Army. 

Spirit of George Washington (supposed). 

Catharine, 

Widow of President Peabody, Mother to Hubert, 

now wed to Weyler. 

Amelia, 

daughter to Hamilton. 

Landlady 

of Horace's lodging. 

Lords, Ladies, Ambassadors, Consuls, Senators, 

Statesmen, Citizens, Soldiers, Policemen, 

Messengers and other Attendants. 



Scene. — (Washinston, D. C. — In the year 1929 ap- 
proximate). Momentous events (purely imaginary) 
in the future history of the United States, drama- 
tized for a moral purpose. 



ACT I 



Scene I. — Washington, D. C. — A thoroughfare be- 
fore the White House. 
Francis, on his guard; enter to him Bernard. 

Bernard : 
Who's there? 

Francis : 
Nay, answer me; stand and make known 
Yourself and your purposes. 

Bernard : 
Long live the Dictator ! 

Francis : 
Ah, Bernard? 

Bernard : 
Yes, 'tis I. 

Francis ; 
You come most punctually upon your hour. 

Bernard: 
^0 the minute; it just struck one. 
Get thee to bed, Francis. 

Francis : 
Very well: many thanks for this relief; 
'Tis bitter cold, and I am s'ck at heart. 

Bernard: 
Have you seen anything: of the enemy? 

Francis : 
No ; nobody stirring, not even a mouse. 

Bernard : 
Well, good ni?ht. (Bernard starts to 

patrol, and Francis starts to exit) 
If you do perchance, meet Martin and 
Horace, my fellow watchmen, bid them 
Make haste. 



Francis : 
I think somebody approaches : stand ho ! 
Who is there? 

(Enter Martin and Horace) 

Martin : 
Friends to this ground. 

Horace : 
And yet, now in the service of the Dictator. 

Francis : 
Well may you say that ; for this same 
Dictator, whose mere name blisters our 
Tongues, is no friend of our country: 
But what we think, we dare not speak ; 
For it means court-martial and perhaps 
Death. Good night to you. 

Martin : 
O, farewell, honest soldier : who has 
Relieved you? 

Francis: 
Bernard, has my place. Good night again. 
(Exit Francis) 
Martin (to Bernard, who has returned) 
Hello, Bernard! 

Bernard : 
Ah, at last. What, and is this Horace? 

Horace: 
What last night's foolish carouse has left of him. 

Bernard : 
Welcome, Horace, and you too, good Martin. 

Martin : 
Say, has this strange thing appeared 
Again to-night? 



143 



144 



THE THIRD TERM 



Bernard : 
Not yet, but I fear it may. 

Martin: 
Horace is very skeptical, and cannot be 
Won to a belief in the reality of 
The dread figure, twice seen of us ; but 
Moved by my entreaties did consent, 
To remain near us as we patrol to-night, 
That if this apparition come again. 
He may be convinced with his own eyes. 
And besides speak to it. 

Horace : 
Pooh, pooh, 'twill not appear. 

Bernard : 
Give heed awhile, and let me once more 
Assail those ears, whose drums seem muffled 
■'Gainst our story, what we two nights have 
Seen. 

Horace : 
Proceed then; and Martin, you and I, 
Will lend attentive hearing, to what 
Bernard says. 

Bernard : 
The last night we were on guard, about 
This same time, for yonder huge star. 
You see there in the west, had illumined 
Almost the same part of Heaven, where 
Now it burns; and as for human devices 
For measuring time, the bell then striking 
One. 

Martin : 
Silence, look, there it comes again! 

(Enter a supposed spirit of George Washington in 
military uniform) 

Bernard : 
Yes, the same form and features that we 
Saw before : George Washington ; the very 
Image of the immortal Washington. 

Martin : 
Is it not a marvelous likeness of 
Washington? What say you Horace? 

Horace : 
So much so that it fills my soul, 
With fear and wonder. 

Bernard : 
Speak to it, Horace: perhaps 'twill answer. 

Horace : 
Who art thou, that usurpest the majestic 
Form of the Father of our Country, and 
Comes to us at a nocturnal hour, in 
This strange way? Speak, by heaven I 
Will be answered! 

Martin : 
You have given oflfense. 

Bernard : 
See, it strides indignant away. 

Horace : 
Stay, speak, I pray thee speak! 
(Exit Spirit) 



Martin : 
lit would not answer ; or not being human. 
Has not the gift of speech. 

Bernard: 
How now Horace, you tremble and look pale: 
You could not be so moved, were this 
A fantasy: what think you of it? 

Horace : 
Before my God, I can hardly credit 
This mystery, even though I saw it 
With these eyes. 

Martin : 
lis it not a true picture of Washington? 

Horace : 
As you are like yourself ! such was the 
Very uniform he wore, when he crossed 
The icy Delaware: so frowned he once, 
When in an angry parley, the proud 
General Burgoyne, gave up to him his 
Sword. 'Tis strange. 

Martin : 
Thus twice before, and just at this same 
Hour, with military walk has he gone 
By our watch. 

Horace : 
My particular thoughts, I will not give 
You, but say, in the gross and scope of 
My opinion, this bodes some sudden 
Revolution in our land. 

Martin : 
Come now, sit down, and tell me if 
You can, why this, the White House, and 
All the Government buildings, are nightly 
Guarded by a strict and most observant 
Watch ; and why such daily cast of horrid 
Cannon, and even raw material let in 
Free, and wrought into implements of war: 
What is the aim of this bustling, hasty 
Preparation, which makes the Sunday busy 
Like the week: who is it that can 
Inform me? 

Horace : 
That can I : at least the whisper goes so : 
Washington ; our first President ; whose image 
Appeared to us even but a moment ago. 
Was bv the people of this country, importuned 
To a third term ; on account of his wisdom 
And integrity, which the masses so revered. 
That he was universally acclaimed as 
The Father of his Country ; a title which 
As you know, still clings to his memory. 
This proffered honor was firmly refused. 
With such patriotic and lofty sentiment. 
Such unanswerable reasoning, that taking 
Root in the people's hearts, has become 
An unwritten law ; more powerful and 
Binding than any statute ever penned 
By man. And so the spirit of it ran 
Through the gamut of our illustrious 
Presidents, until we came to Grant ; who 
After a four-year interregnum, aspired 



THE THIRD TERM 



MS 



To the Third Term ; entered the lists as 
Candidate, but failed of a nomination. 
When virtue is, even though vainly, 
Assaulted, the mere attempt leaves a 
Suggestion, which insinuates itself 
Into other minds likewise incHned; 
And so we find it here, for after a 
Lapse of more than thirty years, Roosevelt, 
Who had filled the office for almost two 
Terms, filled with an over-weaning ambition, 
Became again a candidate, but he, too, 
Was unsuccessful. 

Bernard : 
But our present ruler, Weyler; the Dictator, 
Or as many call him. King; he had a 
Third term. 

Horace : 
Yes, the first President to get that honor: 
And the common belief of ruin to come 
From it, was shown to be well founded; 
For at the expiration of his term, he 
Refused to give up the office, having 
The army and the government offices. 
Suborned for the purpose. The duly elected 
President, Henry Peabody, on the fourth of 
March, at the head of a mass of patriotic 
Citizens, sought to take the reins of 
Government, rightfully his, but was killed 
In the streets of Washington, by the followers 
Of the Dictator. Since then, now about six 
Months past, factional strife has broken 
Out in many parts of our land, between the 
Adherents of the old and the new style 
Of government. The friends of the Republic, 
Having quelled riot and sedition, in many 
Places, are now marching on this city. 

Bernard : 
But 'tis said, that this Tyrant, Weyler, 
Has just wed the widow of Peabody, our 
Lamented President, upon whose office 
And whose life, this damned defeat was made. 

Horace : 
An adroit diplomat and artful politician. 
He thought in that way to best bolster 
Up his power. The youth, Hubert, her only 
Child, is almost crazed with grief, for 
Like his father, he has almost an idolatrous 
Love of liberty, and next to his God, 
Loves Washington ; and to be like him, 
Forms the burden of his prayers. 

Martin : 
Well may then, this ominous figure come 
Uniformed and armed, to the Capital ; 
So like the man, who was the founder of 
The Republic. 

Horace : 
A thought it is which awakes the mind 
To action, that all great events are 
Ushered in by some startlinsr catastrophe. 
'In the most mighty days of Rome, the 
Augustan age, a little ere the Empire 



Fell, the graves opened and the shrouded 
Dead cavorted through the Roman streets. 
Ofttimes the omens appear in the heavens; 
Where some fiery meteor shoots across 
The skies, leaving a trail of sparks. 
In this way the fates prepare us for 
Their wonders: a prologue preceding 
Fierce events, or herald to announce 
Some gorgeous spectacle : and only as 
Such must we construe the visit of 
This apparition. 

(Re-enter Spirit) 
But, by my soul, look! here it comes 
Again : I'll face it though it blast me : 
Stay, wondrous illusion ! if thou hast still 
The use of voice, speak to me; 
Jf thou lookest upon the Republic's 
Certain death, and comest to point the 
Way again to safety, speak to me: 
If thy paternal care has brought thee 
From the grave, at this crisis in our 
Country's history, when the cruel Tyrant, 
Sits upon his quasi throne, speak to me: 
Do not go ; stay, and speak ! Stop it, Martin. 

Martin : 
Shall I threaten it with the bayonet? 

Horace : 
Yes ; don't let it escape. 

Martin : 
'Tis here! (He rushes to Hies) 
'Tis there! {He goes off stage) 
'Tis gone. {After he re-enters) 
It was wrong for us to grow so 
Violent towards that majestic figure: 
Besides it was like the air, not 
Vulnerable to blows, and all our thrusts 
Were so much mockery. 

Bernard : 
It was about to speak, then the cock crew. 

Horace : 
When it started like a guilty thing 
Receiving a dreadful summons. I have 
Heard that the cock, the trumpeter to 
The morning, doth with a cock-a-doodle-do, 
Awake the god of day; and at this warning 
The vassals of Erebus, whether on earth. 
In sea, or air, prepare for the hated 
Light. 

Martin : 
Some say that always when that season 
Comes, wherein our Saviour's rise is 
Celebrated, the pompous rooster singeth 
All night long, to usher in the gracious 
Hallowed time ; showing as did our Saviour's 
Life itself, that mighty things proceed 
From the humblest instruments. 

Horace : 
1 have heard and do partly credit that 
Fable. But look! the sun in golden 
Splendor clad, peeps o'er the crest of 
Yonder eastward hill: let's break up our 



146 



THE THIRD TERM 



Watch, as we were ordered to return 
At dawn ; and I would advise that we 
Relate what we have seen to-night, unto 
Young Hubert ; for as sure as life, 
This spirit, dumb to us, will be won 
By his boyish frankness and discourse 
Freely. 

Bernard : 
Yes, let us acquaint him with the whole 
Marvelous affair, upon the first convenient 
Opportunity. Come, I think I know where 
He may soon be found. (Exeunt) 



Scene 11. — Washington. A Room of State in the 
Capitol. 

(Enter Weyler, as Dictator, Catharine, Hubert, 

Hamilton, Louis, Cornelius, Valentine, Lords, 
Ladies, Ambassadors, Soldiers and Attendants') 

Weyler : 
Though the memory of Peabody's tragic 
Death, still is green ; and that it befitted 
Us to join his widow, in most protracted 
And poignant grief; yet sorrow for the 
Dead makes us more tender to the living, 
Therefore, the virtuous Catharine, hath 
Won our love ; and as you know Peabody, 
Her former consort, laid some pretentions 
To our place : so we thought to harmonize 
These conflicting passions, at one fell 
Swoop, by taking her to wife. Nor have 
We ignored your own individual preferences, 
As you have hotly urged us to this 
Course : — for all our hearty thanks. Now, having 
disposed of this sentimental 
Matter, let us proceed to consider 
The affair which drew us here together. 
As you know, insurrection exists in 
All parts of our domains, led on by 
Certain envious men who are fools 
Enough to doubt our power, and reckless 
Grown do affront our dignity ; and rebel 
Generals, with a rabble at their heels 
Made up of men who for food and clothing, 
Will fight for any cause, even if no 
Virtue's in it, are marchin? on to 
Washington ; and for what ? to seat, as 
They say, the lawfully elected officers 
In power: but we say, that election 
Was a thing of fraud, and therefore 
Proclaimed ourself as Dictator. 

(Great Cheering) 
From many Ambassadors, Envoys, and 
Char"-es d' Affaires from foreign Powers, 
We have received words of personal 
Cheer and comfort ; but these as well 
As those remaining neutral, have thought 
Best to confer with their Rulers, as 
To our status, and now are to make 
Known the result. What say your 
lExcellencies ? 



Ambassador : 
Your Majesty: the august Sovereigns, 
Whose glory we as their Ambassadors, 
Seek to reflect at your Court ; have 
Not only signified their approval of 
Our course in acclaiming you the rightful 
Dictator, of this country, De Facto; 
But have gone still further, and say 
That in accord with an usage as old 
As the hills, and held almost as sacred 
By their Imperial Majesties, as words of 
Holy writ ; no Ambassador shall spy into 
The soundness of the title of the Ruler, 
To whose court he is accredited : and 
Your Majesty, being in control of the 
Capital, as well as the regular functions 
Of Government, must be regarded as 
Dictator, De Jure. (Great enthusiasm) 

Weyler : 
These are gracious words ; nor could they 
Have said less ; for were we to constellate 
All earthly Thrones, ours would show forth 
The star of greatest magnitude (Flourish) 
(Enter Brazilian Ambassador, Argentina Minister, 

and Venezuela Consul) 
What's that? Ah, here comes the Diplomats, 
Who can speak with authority for the 
Latin Republics of South America: those 
Nations who have whimsically cast their 
Kings aside, and yet may soon, like us. 
Be glad to take them back again. 
Proceed, your excellencies ; and you'll find, 
Although you do represent Republics, that 
Weyler can be fair. 

Ambassador from Brazil: 
The Republics of Brazil, Venezuela, and 
Argentina, whose Ambassadors we are, say. 
That you must be looked upon as an usurper; 
Who by force has seized on functions, powers 
And rights not lawfully yours ; and we are 
Forbidden in future to hold intercourse 
With you, as it would be construed by the 
Republic of these United States, as aiding 
And abetting a treasonable movement 
Against its government. 

Weyler : 
"Sdeath, do you mean to defy and insult 
Us, to our face? Well, Sir; I see that 
You desire to speak ; go on, I am all 
Attention. 

Minister from Argentina: 
Argentina, says through me, their Minister, 
That your third and last Presidential term. 
Expired on the fourth day of March last. 
And you now sit only as a traitor, and 
An usurper. 

Consul from Venezuela: 
Venezuela, will give to this free people. 
Her moral support and material aid, in 
Their righteous fight to preserve their 
Liberties, against you and your sympathizers. 



THE THIRD TERM 



147 



Weyler (terribly enraged) 

Liars and slaves ! Dare you thus scoff at 

Our power ; then damn me if you shall not 

Fall victims to it. Ho ! there ; soldiers ; 

Lord Chamberlain: place these villains 

Under arrest. 

Hamilton : 

Yes, Sire. 

(Hamilton leaves the side of Weyler and goes to ar- 
rest them, and is joined by the advancing soldiers, 
who lay hands upon them, but are shaken off) 
Hubert : 

Stop, where you are ! assault them at 

Your peril: around their forms I conjure 

Up an impregnable barrier of the awful 

Majesty of International law: lay but 

A violent hand upon the sacred person 

Of an Ambassador, and on that head 

And the glittering crown upon it, I launch 

The wrath of Nations ! 

Weyler : 

Impertinent schoolboy ; back to you lessons : 

We should chastise you, but that can be 

Left to the schoolmaster: soldiers, do 

Your duty. 

Hamilton : 

Pause, my liege; although this affront to 

Your dignity by these men, is past pardon, 

Yet to punish them will give your enemies 

A chance to vent their envious malice; 

Your wrongs will be forgot, and as with 

Trumpets, they'll herald to the world. 

Your rank abuse of power. (Aside) We 

Must put our wits to work to find 

Some cunning way to do them secret harm. 

Weyler : 
Where's the Attorney General? 

(Attorney General comes forward) 
You, sir, will proceed at once against 
These men ; the charge ; high treason. 
The courts are but our instruments. 
And will no doubt be quick to carry 
Out our purposes. 

Attorney General: 
While all actions for treason, are begun 
In our department and tried by the 
Highest courts, yet, no court will issue 
A process to deprive an Ambassador 
Of his liberty. 

Weyler : 
A blighting curse upon such courts, that 
Set their spurious wisdom up against 
Our own ; which like a snail pursue their 
Slow leneth along, building up with 
Scrupulous care and sickly patience, what 
My strong will and soaring soirit, will 
In a trice tear down. We will soon crush 
Them with our mailed hand, and mould them 
To our liking : and as for you ; take 
Yourself hence, you are dismissed from 
Office. And these agents of some petty 



Republics in South America, can they 
Then come to our court, and sneaking behind 
Their high-sounding titles, insult us with 
(Impunity : must they stand unrebuked ; is 
Trhere no way? 

Hamilton : 
Yes, Sire ; there is a way, and one that 
Is an integral part of the law of Nations: 
Dismiss them from service at your Court, 
And prohibit them the use of your territory; 
Then they remain here at their peril. 

Weyler : 
Then by the Kingly power that I possess, you 
Are interdict from this presence, and 
Banished our dominions ; and after one 
Week's elapse you are found here, immunity 
Is promised those who by secret course 
Take away your hateful lives. 

Ambassador from Brazil: 
Enough ; 'tis joy to go, and shame to stay: 
Here, patriots fall and tyranny holds sway! 
(Exeunt Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela Representa- 
tives) 

Weyler : 
And now, good Cornelius and you Valentine: 

(Two Courtiers, richly attired, advance) 
Our tried and trusty courtiers, you we now 
Despatch as bearers of our greetings to 
Those loyal Governors, at least one half 
The whole, who having cast aside their 
Antiquated notions of states' rights. 
Declare themselves but vassals of our Throne; 
And ask them to suppress the recruiting 
Of the rebel hordes, from their Militia. 
Being the chief factor in our standing 
Army of one million men, this militia 
Is very large, and holds many republic 
Sympathizers, who desert and go over 
To the traitors. These dilated articles 
Cover the whole matter; let them look 
To it : farewell ; and let your speed show 
The measure of your devotion. 

Cornelius : 
In this, as all things else, will we 
Prove our service true. 

(Exeunt Cornelius and Valentine) 
(Louis, advances and makes obeisance.) 

Weyler: 
How now Louis, what's the wish with you? 
You hinted at some suit ; what is it ? 
For you to ask a favor is to have 
Jt granted : amongst all the glories that 
Move about our state, your father is 
The brightest satellite. 

Louis : 
My dread Lord, your leave and favor to 
Return to the army, from which I had 
A three months' furlough, to attend your 
Crowning as Ruler Absolute ; yet now that 
Duty done I am getting home-s-ck for 
The ranks again. 



148 



THE THIRD TERM 



WEYt-EK : 

Have you your father's leave? What say 
You, Hamilton? 

Hamilton : 
He has, my liege, gained my reluctant 
Consent, by pestering petition, making 
My strong will the servant of his own; 
If it please you, give him leave to go. 

Weyler : 
Take your own time, Louis : you will be 
Sadly missed, but if you pine to join 
Your comrades, go. {Weyler nozv rises 
from the throne and with his lady 
goes over to Hubert) 
And now, my loving Hubert, and my son ; — 

Hubert (aside gloomily) : 
Although by marriage we are near of kin, 
I am forced to be unkind. 

Weyler : 
What, and do you always keep the company 
Of the clouds? 

Hubert : 
Not so, kind sir, I am too much in 
The sun ; pardon me, you dazzle me 
So, I must lower my eyes. 

Catharine: 
Dear Hubert, cast this night-like color 
Of?, and let your face wear the becoming 
Smiles of youth ; nor walk with head bent 
Down as though you sought your noble 
Father in the dust : know you not that 
To die, you first must live, and death 
Is the birth of immortality? 

Hubert: 
Aye, Madam, I know all this. 

Catharine : 
Then if it be, why seems your father's 
Death so terrible to thee? 

Hubert : 
Seems, Madam! that word seems we use 
When tangled up in doubt ; but I am sure : 
Sure that my Father has gone to glory, 
And that his spirit fled thither, to escape 
Most wicked and most evil agencies. 
'Tis not this sable cloak alone, that can 
Denote me truly, good Mother, or any 
Other acceptable suit of solemn black: 
For I have that within which passeth 
Ornamental show ; and these are but the 
Fashionable adornment of our woes. 

Weyler : 
fTis quite commendable in you, Hubert, 
To mourn thus deeply for your father ; 
But the loss of relative or friend, is 
'Monsfst music sung: in minor chords, a 
Common theme : man's fell enemy comes 
And some are taken ; and the survivors 
Bound by sacred obligations, dedicate 
Themselves for a time to most obsequious 
Sorrow : arising from their chastening 
Griefs, more fitted for duties to the 



Living. But obstinacy and hateful looks 
Are not a part of these sad rites ; these 
Rather show a contrary and perverse spirit, 
That needs taming, even to the lash. 
Attracted by a natural affinity to 
Your mother, and desirous, like the great 
Napoleon, to leave an heir to perpetuate 
Our Dynasty, we married ; and for that 
You meet us with supercilious looks, and 
Muttered threats, although in this alliance 
Your mother was most wise, gaining a 
Queenly place, and you another father. 
Look to it, mend your ways, or you 
Shall know what comes to those who 
Arouse our wrath. For your intent in going 
Back to military school at West Point, 
'Tis rankly disobedient to our commands. 
And we shall take steps to detain you 
Here. 

Catharine: 
I know you would like to return, Hubert ; 
But ah me, it seems in peace it cannot 
Be ; you had best remain here : let not 
Your mother lose her prayers, Hubert. 

Hubert : 
I deem it my simple duty, Madam, to 
Obey you in this. 

Weyler : 
Why, that is a frank and filial reply: 
Be as ourself in Washington. Madame, 
Come ; this unlooked for softening of 
Hubert's rebellious spirit, goes singing 
To my heart ; in grace whereof we'll drink 
Some jocund toasts to-day ; and as we pour 
The champagne down, the nimble gunner shall 
His match apply, and our salute be answered 
By the sky, respeaking earthly thunder. 

(Exeunt Weyler and lady, followed by the others, 
in procession: Hubert remains) 

Hubert : 
This appetite-creating- carnal flesh ; 
Is slow to melt and dissolve itself in 
Spirit: then oh that the everlasting had 
Not fixed His canon against self-destruction. 
This world is like a lovely flower garden 
Filled with weeds, and the rank growth doth 
Choke and kill the tender plants. O God! 
That it should come to this ; but six 
Months dead ; so excellent a statesman. 
Loving husband, kind father ; that was to 
This usurper, a patriot to a demagogue. 
And when he died she wept so, that one 
Might think she, like Niobe, was all tears: 
But ere the lamentations had died out. 
With which she followed my poor father's 
Body to the grave, for mere ambition and 
The pride of place she wed the very man 
Whose evil lusts for power, had struck 
Him down. It was not, nor can it bring 
Us eood ; but although my heart break. 
Still I must hold my tonsfue. 

(Enter Horace, Martin and Bernard) 



THE THIRD TERM 



149 



Horace: 
Hail to your lordship ! 

Hubert : 
Well, as I'm alive, my old college 
Chum, Horace. Why lordship? Do you 
Ihink to mock me, Horace? 

Horace : 
Preserve me kind heaven from that ; I 
Am most sincere: you are the stepson of 
A Dictator, and not knowing your real 
Title, I use the all-embracing one of 
Lordship. 

Hubert : 
And what brings you from New York, here 
Horace ? — Bernard. 

Bernard : 
The same, my lord, and ever your obedient 
Servant. 

Hubert : 
In that regard, allow me sir, to 
Change places with you. But Horace, 
What in faith lured you to Washington? 

Horace : 
A truant disposition sir, which led me 
Schoolboy like, to play hookey from my 
Labors. 

Hubert : 
I would not let your enemy say that, 
Nor shall you make my ears record your 
Slanders against yourself. I know you 
Are no truant, fellow student, and I'll 
Wager that it was only love for me 
That brought you here. Have you still that 
Same old love for philosophy ? We'll 
Teach you to think deep ere you depart. 

Horace: 
You are right, dear friend, I came to 
Renew our old friendship ; but on account 
Of your exalted rank, thought it best 
To find out the lay of the land before 
Venturing into your company; so sought 
Out our mutual friends Martin and Bernard, 
From whom I learned that you were the 
Same old frank and sociable Hubert. 
As for philosophy ; I am in a most 
Contentious mood, and will dispute with 
You on any question. Do you remember 
Our frequent talks about George Washington, 
And how you almost idolized him? 

Hubert : 
Yes — methinks I see him now. 

Horace and Bernard (startled) 
Where, my lord? 

Hubert : 
In my mind's eye. Gentlemen. 

Horace : 
That is not stransfe : the oft pictured 
Noble face of the Father of our Country, 
Lovingly enshrined in every patriotic 
Heart, can be conjured up at will : but 
He himself, appeared to us last night. 



Hubert : 
Now Horace you speak in jest; or else 
Unwittingly you've parted with your senses. 

Horace : 
Restrain your incredulity a while and 
Lend an attentive ear, till I relate, 
Upon the witness of these Gentlemen, 
This marvel to you. 

Hubert : 
For God's love, go on at once. 
Horace: 
On separate nights twice had these Gentlemen, 
Martin and Bernard, in the dread lonesome 
And middle of the night, been encountered 
By an exact ghostly likeness of Washington. 
Arrayed in full military costume and 
Armed cap-a-pie in perfect resemblance. 
Appears before them, and with stately march 
Goes slow and solemn by ; thrice he walked 
Past their oppress'd and fear-surprised 
Eyes, within their muskets' length ; while 
They turned to stone, almost, with dread 
And fear, stand dumb and speak not to him. 
This to me in sworn secrecy they did 
Impart, and I with them the third night - 
Kept the watch ; when as if to vouch and 
Verify their wondrous story in all details. 
Each word made good and true, the apparition 
Comes : you see m}' hands ; one is not 
More like the other, than was this warlike 
Figure to the immortal Washington. 

Hubert : 
A prodigy in marvels : and where was this ? 

Martin : 
My lord, adjacent to the White House ; whose 
Security was the burden of our watch. 

Hubert (regretfully) : 
Why did you not speak to it? 

Horace: 
'Indeed I did, but answer deigned it 
None : fixing on us an eager look, it 
Then, as if not seeing him it sought. 
Strode dignified away and vanished 
From our sight. 

Hubert : 
Most wonderful; would I had been there: 
And grand, you say, and noble in his 
Bearing; just as we always think of him. 

Horace: 
All those graces ever present in his 
Portraits, and endowed with life. 

Hubert : 
The very same stately form, serene face 
And benign look? 

Horace : 
Oh, yes. 

Hubert : 
And the hair? 

Horace : 
Plenteously sprinkled with silver ; the 
Work both of nature and of art. 



ISO 



THE THIRD TERM 



Martin : 
My lord, wisdom, philanthropy, magnanimity 
And patriotism, beamed from his grave 
Face ; we felt at once the sway of his 
Lofty spirit. 

Hubert : 
This spiritual visitation is for no 
Idle purpose. It must come to warn us 
Of some horrid crisis in our country's 
Fate. I will see it : hold you the watch 
To-night ? 

Martin and Bernard: 
Yes, we are on duty to-night. 

Hubert : 
You say you saw the expression of 
His face? 

Bernard : 
Very distinctly. 

Hubert : 
And he looked most serious and stern? 

Martin : 
A countenance more sad, than angry. 

Hubert : 
I will keep the watch with you to-night. 



Perchance 'twill walk again. 
If it prove to be the spirit of George 
Washington; I'll speak to it, though 
Hell, the natural ally of the Dictator, 
Should itself vomit forth its lurid flames, 
To make me hold my peace. I implore you 
All, as you have not thus far divulged 
This secret, restrain still longer a 
Very natural desire to harp upon it: 
I will requite you kindness. Now fare 
You well ; upon your beat, shortly before 
Twelve, I'll come to you. 

Horace : 
We shall expect you: until that time 
Goodbye. (Exeunt all but Hubert) 

Hubert : 
Supernatural agencies abroad! this 
Means that the usurper has aroused 
Some mighty power friendly to the 
Republic. Would that it were night : till 
Then be calm my soul: foul deeds will rise. 
And cry for vengeance to the very skies. 

(Exit) 



ACT II 



Scene I. Washington. — A Room in Hamilton's 
House. 

(Enter Louis and Amelia) 

Louis : 
My luggage is on board, and I must follow: 
Farewell: and sister, as the fast trains 
Give benefit, and street cars are assistant, 
Bearing me rapidly to the far West, do 
Not forget, but let me hear from you. 

Amelia: 
Oh, dear brother, this parting makes 
Me grieve. 

Louis : 
For Hubert, and the intoxication of 
His company, hold a tight rein over 
Your rebellious blood : if he has affection 
For you, it is a plant of small root 
And tender growth ; and like the fragile 
Violet, with all its sweet odor, too 
Rough a blast may kill it in a moment. 

Amelia : 
Alas, that love should ever prove so 
Fickle ! 

Louis : 
Not so fickle here, as lacking the soil 
To take deep root : Hubert is only the 
Stepson of the Dictator, and none too 
Well liked by his law-made father ; whilst 
You are the daughter of the Dictator's 
Most trusted aid, and your father will 
Ever be servile to his plans. These cross 
Currents are hard to reconcile, and 
Only constant love which mocks at all 
Obstacles could surmount them; and that 



Hubert cannot give ; for he mourns for a 
Father wronged and Mother's perfidy. 
And swears that he, with heaven's aid. 
Will be the redresser. Then think the 
Anguish you must bear, if with too serious 
Ear you listen to his compliments ; and 
Take for love, the ardor quite natural 
Of one stricken by your contagious beauty. 
Beware, Amelia ; look to it : be an 
Usurer with your affections, and give 
Away no more than you receive. 

Amelia: 
Dear brother, you seem to think that women 
Can conduct their love affairs, according 
To the rules of arithmetic: that we can 
Be passionate and prudent, loving and 
Indifferent, emotional and cautious, in 
A moment. Wait until you meet the right 
One, and you will find all your vaunted 
Courage and sagacity, at the mercy of 
Your sweetheart's eyebrow. 

Louis : 
Perhaps you are right: I have heard that 
Cupid, plays us scurvy tricks, and do 
In part believe it : — but here comes Father. 
A double blessing brings me greater luck; 
I am glad occasion smiles upon another 
Leave. 

(Enter Hamilton) 

Hamilton: 
What, Louis, not aboard yet? perchance 
You think the train will wait for you. 
There, my blessing take again ; and I 
Will give you a few precepts, to store 



THE THIRD TERM 



151 



Jn a convenient place in your memory, 
Where they can be readily found: Think 
Much and say little ; act advisedly ; be 
Friendly but not familiar ; seek to have 
But few real friends, and expect to see 
Many of these desert you ; beware of 
Entrance to a quarrel, but being in. 
Take the quickest way out ; give every 
Man your ear, and few your confidence ; 
Take each Man's censure, yet maintain your 
Composure; think not too much of dress, 
And forsake not those who are tidily 
But cheaply attired, for the apparel 
Does not make the man ; neither a borrower 
Nor a lender be, for loan oft loses 
Both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls 
Ihe edge of industry. Now let us hear 
The conclusion ; if you will always to 
Your own better self be true ; you cannot 
Ever then be false to any man. Go now ; 
Your valet waits outside. 

Louis : 
As a dutiful son, I shall ever keep 
Your wise counsels in mind : goodbye. 
Dear Father. And Amelia, farewell : 
Keep out of love and remain in content; 
And your heart will be glad, to welcome 
Me when I return. 

Amelia : 
I would that I might put a lock upon 
My heart ; then you should take away the 
Key : farewell. {Exit Louis) 

Hamilton : 
What did he mean by those last words? 

Amelia: 
He told me to be on my guard in 
My relations to the young Lord Hubert. 

Hamilton : 
Hath he made love to you? 

Amelia: 
I would I might so construe it. 

Hamilton : 
And you, are your feelings tender towards 
Him? 

Amelia: 
I am almost ashamed to answer: Yes, 
He is very dear to me. 

Hamilton : 
Amelia, men call me cruel ; I am not. 
'Tis true I have reached my present 
Exalted position under the Dictator, 
By cunning, craft, great executive 
Ability and will-power that knows no 
Obstacles. The Dictator works like the 
Mastodon, I work like the mole: he 
Crushes everything by brute force ; I 
Undermine it until it falls of itself. 
But although I am false to myself, I 
Must be true to my motherless children ; 
Louis and you. Weyler has hinted to 
Me that he would favor a union between 



Hubert and you: I do not know why. 
But think I could guess. In this case 
His plans accord with my conscience, and 
Therefore Amelia, let your fancy have 
Full play, with the assurance that your 
Father approves : use adroitly those charms 
With which nature has endowed you, and 
Hubert will soon surrender. 

Amelia : 
He is always attentive and most kind. 
But speaks no tender words to me: the 
Best I have from him is eager looks 
And soft pressure of the hand ; he lingers 
Long when helping on my cloak. 
Hamilton : 
Heat lightning, my dear ; by a!nd by 
Will come the thunder: his youthful blood 
Full of the electricity of love, will 
Soon break forth in vehement, incoherent 
Words of passion. I am growing old, my 
Dear child, but I am still an authority 
On these matters. Come, let us go. 
(Exeunt) 



Scene H. — Washington. The Thoroughfare. 
(Enter Hubert, Horace and Martin) 

Hubert; 
The air bites keenly; it is very cold 
For fall. 

Horace; 
It is a nipping and a numbing cold. 

Hubert; 
How slow the minutes move ; it is not 
Yet one? 

Horace; 
I think it lacks a few minutes, (bell tolls one) 

Martin; 
Just one by the bell. 

Horace; 
Yes ; now let us be wary, for the time's 
At hand when the spirit doth walk, and 
It may at any time appear. (A flourish 

of trumpets and salute of cannon, is heard) 
What mean those warlike sounds? 

Hubert; 
The Dictator doth dissipate to-night in 
A mad carouse; invites wassail company 
Of both old and young ; and aged men 
Play the fool, and many a youthful noisy 
Staggering upstart reels, and as they 
Drain their glass of liquor down, vow 
To ever be a slave to this besetting 
Sin ; when the trumpet and the cannon thus 
Blare out in triumph of the pledge. 

Horace; 
This must be an innovation? 

Hubert; 
Aye, indeed, it is ; but to my mind 
Because I am native here, and to our 
Manners born, it is an innovation made 



152 



THE THIRD TERM 



Better by neglect than by observance. 
A custom borrowed from abroad ; where 
Even it has fallen into disuse. The 
Dictator while a professed lover of 
Our institutions, in fact hates and 
Despises them ; attacking the Constitution 
And the Courts, not to improve but to 
Destroy them : he loves the old royalties 
In their unadulterated state of centuries 
Ago ; against which our forefathers fought 
In the Revolution. So oft it chances 
In certain men ; that for some vicious 
Propensity in them ; not by their birth. 
For Nature gives us perfect origin; but 
By the overgrowth of some defect, as 
Ambition or avarice: their virtues 
Otherwise being as infinite as man 
Can possess, yet the whole is contaminated 
By this particular fault: the cancerous 
Base, doth often all the healthy substance 
Infect to the man's mortal hurt. — Look I 

Horace; 
Silence, behold it comes again! 

(Enter Spirit) 

Hubert.- 
Spiritual powers, militant, sustain us ! 
Say, art thou a creature of human or 
Supernatural degree? Bring with thee the 
Loving entreaties of Heaven, or the cruel 
Mandates of hell? Coming in that well known 
And matchless form, thy intents cannot 
Be wicked, but merciful ; therefore I 
Will speak to thee: I'll call thee patriot, 
Benefactor, Father of the Country, Washington! 
O, answer me ! Let me not be confounded 
In ignorance ; but tell why the sepulchre 
At Mount Vernon, where thou wast interred 
More than a century ago, has opened 
Its carved marble doors, to cast thee 
Forth again? What may it mean, that thou 
So long dead, return'st to the glimpses 
Of the moon ; making night spectral, and 
We the playthings of Nature to indulge 
In speculation, beyond the comprehension 
Of our souls? I exhort you, answer. 
What would you have us do? 

Horace; 
It answers not, but beckons to you, 
As though anxious to have you go away. 
To make some revelation to you alone. 

Martin : 
Yes, with graceful motion it waves you 
To more removed ground : but do not go. 

Hubert: 
It will not speak here ; then I will 
Follow it. 

Horace : 
Do not go, my lord. 

Hubert : 
Why what have I to fear? I am weary 
Of my life; and as for my soul, what 



Can it do to that, being an immortal 
Thing like itself? It beckons me again; 
Go on, I'll follow. 

Horace : 
What if it tempt you far away towards 
The flood, to the very summit of some 
Cliff, that overhangs its base ready to 
Drop into the sea ; and there like Proteus, 
Assume another shape, whose ugliness 
Might dethrone your sovereign reason 
Even to the point of madness ? Take heed ; 
Such awful heights put morbid fancies 
In the mind without this phantom's aid: 
The brain grows dizzy as the eye travels 
So many fathoms down to the sea that 
Thunders in your ears. 

Hubert : 
Do you entreat me still? lead the way; 
I come. 

Martin : 
You shall not go ; help me to hold him, 
Horace. 

Hubert : 
Release me, Gentlemen. 

Martin : 
Be advised ; we mean all for your good. 

Hubert : 
My fate cries out, and fills this delicate 
Body with strength such as the lordly 
Lion has : let go your holds ; still I 
Am called : by heaven, I'll make a corpse 
Of him that stops me. (Breaks from them) 
Away, good spirit! lead on. 

(Exeunt Spirit and Hubert) 

Horace : 
This has so wrought upon his imagination. 
That he grows desperate. 

Martin : 
Let's follow ; we did great wrong to let 
Him go. 

Horace : 
I fear so : may it please heaven to 
Direct it. 

Martin : 
Rest assured it will protect its own 
Interests and agencies. 

Horace : 
Come, let us not lose sight of him. 

(Exeunt) 



Scene III. — The White House Grounds. 
(Enter Spirit and Hubert) 
Hubert : 
Where wilt thou lead me? speak and prove 
That thy intents are good: I will not further 
Blindly follow evil. 

Spirit : 
Mark me. 

Hubert : 
I will. 



THE THIRD TERM 



153 



Spirit : 
The hour has almost come, when I to 
Consuming celestial flames, must render 
Up myself. 

Hubert : 
Alas, poor spirit! 

Spirit : 
Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing 
To what I shall unfold. 

Hubert : 
Speak ; I am bound to hear. 

Spirit : 
So art thou to avenge, when thou hast 
Heard. 

Hubert: 
Avenge : "Vengeance is mine," saith the Lord. 

Spirit : 
Yes, therefore doth He select most righteous 
Instruments ; and you Hubert are worthy. 
Listen: I am the spirit of Washington: 
Privileged . to forever dwell in regions 
Of the blessed ; but doomed for a period 
To certain penances, until the earthly 
Imperfections of myself and work, are 
Blotted from the records by the recording 
Angel. But that I am forbid to reveal 
The secrets of Immortals ; I could a story 
Narrate whose least significant words, 
Would amaze thy sense of beauty, fill thy 
Soul with content, and confirm thee in 
The belief, that to glorify God, and 
Keep His commandments, is the chief end 
Of man. But. this blazon of things eternal, 
I am forbidden to make to mortals ; for 
These must have faith ; which is the mystic 
Alchemy by which the soul is gradually 
Transformed. Listen, Hubert: you loved 
You father dearly? 

Hubert : 
Oh, yes. 

Spirit : 
Then avenge his foul and cruel murder. 

Hubert : 
Murder ! 

Spirit : 
Even that word makes you start ; for murder 
At its best is horrible : and this was 
At its worst. 

Hubert : 
Hasten to tell it ; that lightning shall 
Be to my swiftness, as meditation to 
The thoughts of love. 

Spirit : 
I find you ardent ; and duller should you 
Be than th^ fat weed, that rots away 
In ease on the Potomac docks, would you 
Not stir in this : now Hubert, hear ; 
For you can lend material aid in my 
Earth mission : 'tis given out that your 
Father fell at the hands of an assassin, 
Or some discipline defying soldier; 



But let me tell you that the serpent 

Which took your father's life, now occupies 

His rightful place and wears a crown. 

Hubert : 
On thy prophetic soul, do not torture 
Me: say it was my stepfather. 

Spirit : 
Aye, Weyler: though he fired not the shot 
Himself, he paid the man who did it. 

Hubert : 
The Dictator; my father's substitute; 
But no more like my father, than a 
Pugilist to St. Paul : my father had 
Fine sensibilities and loved the right; 
But Weyler, brutal cunning and cruel; 
Has culled with skilful brain the choicest 
Of high sounding platitudes, and made 
Promises that he knew could not be 
Kept ; nor did he want to keep them. 
In this way he has seduced a large 
Part of our worthy people ; and with their 
Help he and the evil elements that 
Surround him, have trampled down the 
Constitution and the laws : a man of 
His ferocious ambition, would stop at 
Nothing to gain his ends ; not even 
Murder. 

Spirit : 
Aye, that selfish, that overbearing beast; 
With cunning wit, and traitorous desires ; 

wicked wit, and desires which have the 
Power so to seduce ! — won to his shameful 
Lust, the will of your most seeming 
Virtuous mother. O Hubert, what a falling 
Off was there, from Peabody, whose love 
Was of that dignity, that it went hand 

In hand even with the vows he made 
At marriage ; and to decline upon a 
Wretch whose natural gifts were poor 
To those of your father. But, although 
Virtue cannot be enticed, even if 
Lewdness court it in a heavenly shape; 
So vice once grafted upon a previous 
Radiant angel, will gorge its appetite 
In a celestial appearing bed, yet feed 
Upon naught but garbage. But, soft, 
Methinks I scent the morning air ; brief 
Let me be. On an occasion, I being 
In my mortal shape, whereto I am condemned 
Sometimes until my earth's work is done, 

1 looked down and saw ; saw with all 
The added wisdom which the Divine had 
Gave me, my beloved country struggling 
In the throes of misery ; with a blood 
Sceptred and cruel tyrant, sitting on 

A throne, where before none but patriots 
Had sat ; and at his back, all those 
Low. specious and skeptical ideas, which 
St. Paul, in his efforts to extend the 
Teachinp's of our Saviour, found in Greece, 
And adjacent lands. O, Hubert; one self- 



154 



THE THIRD TERM 



Sacrificing soul, not anxious to be greatest 
But happy to be least, witli all his name 
And virtues stand for, is worth more to 
God, upon this earth, than a million 
Seltish, ambition-crazed men. 

Hubert : 
But you will help us: for you are 
Adored on earth, as the champion of 
Liberty ; a patriot, and Father of 
Your Country: wherever freedom grapples 
With tyranny and bigotry, there is your 
ISlame an inspiration: the meek grow strong, 
And those who struggle against wrong, take 
On renewed courage. 

Spirit: 
Never fear: the ultimate triumph of 
Every righteous cause is inevitable: 
Ihe infinite laws are perfect, but not 
Always operating: as when a burglar 
Breaks in a house, where the innocent 
Sleep ; the wicked act awakes a thousand 
Protecting influences, otherwise dormant: 
So this unholy attempt of this selfish. 
Ambitious and wicked man, to destroy this 
Republic, God's chosen agency for the 
Spread of liberty and enlightenment, 
Ihose twin harbingers of happiness and 
Prosperity, has aroused the cohorts of 
Good, everywhere ; in sky, in air, on earth. 
And soon this pernicious man, and his 
Evil fame, will sink into a merited 
Oblivion. And Hubert ; you must help : 
Let your love for your father and your 
Native land, inspire you with the way: 
You must help to overthrow the tyrant. 
But howsoever persistent you are in 
Your pursuit of him, taint not your mind, 
Nor let your soul contrive aught against 
You mother : leave her to heaven, and to 
That burden of regret which in her bosom 
Lies. Farewell, for I must quickly leave 
Thee ! The firefly shows the sunshine to 
Be near, for see, he hides in shame his 
Ineffectual light: adieu, adieu! Hubert, 
Remember me. {Exit Spirit) 

Hubert : 
O all you planetary host of heaven! 

earth ! what else ? it's vain to cry 
To hell! O, fie! Be still my heart; 
And you, my limbs that bend beneath me, 

1 fain must stiffen up. Remember thee ! 
That I shall, good spirit, while memory 
Holds her sway in this distracted mind : 
Remember thee ! yea, from my recollection, 
I'll wipe away all trivial fond records — 
That youth and observation copied there ; 
All love of thought, all thought of love; 
And thy commandment shall live alone 
Within my many volumed brain. 

Oh, most frail woman ; oh, villain ; 
Smiling damned villain : my diary ; 
Meet it is I jot it down; that one 



May win the popular applause, and 
Yet be a villain : at least 1 am sure 
It may be so in America. {Writing) 
So, false stepfather, there you are: 
Now to my promise: it is, avenge, avenge! 
My father and my country : I have sworn't. 

{Horace and Martin are heard talking within; Hubert 
is half inclined to escape them) 

Horace {within) : 
Not yet in sight; where can he be, Martin? 

Martin {within) : 
I much fear we have lost the trail : 
Something dreadful has happened I am 
Sure. 

Horace : 
If he come to harm, I shall never 
Forgive myself. 

Martin : 
Halloo, halloo. Lord Hubert! 

Hubert : 
Hello there, without ; here I am. 

{Enter Horace and Martin) 

Horace : 
Thank heaven that we have found you at 
Last ; and the apparition hath wrought you 
No harm. 

Hubert : 
Gentlemen, you see that I am still alive; 
And well — at least in body. 

Martin : 
Did the vision speak : what was the purport 
Of its strange visitations? 

Horace : 
Yes, what said it ? I pray you tell us 
All about it. 

Hubert : 
Most wonderful ! — but I dare not tell. 
For you'll reveal it. 

Horace : 
Not I upon my faith. 

Martin : 
Nor I. i 

Hubert : 
What say you then ; would heart of man 
Believe it? there's manv a villain dwells 
In America ; but the Dictator ; he is — 
At least an arrant knave. 

Horace : 
His enemies and friends alike, agree to 
This ; it needs no ghost come from the 
Grave to tell it. 

Hubert : 
Why, right ; you are in the right : and 
So without more present discussion, I 
Think that we had best shake hands and 
Part: you to go where your inclinations 
Shall prompt you ; for every man has 
Desires and appetites dear to himself, 
And well he guards the secret ; and for 
Mine own part, look you, I'll go and pray. 



THE THIRD TERM 



155 



Horace : 
These are but wild and delirious words, 
My Lord. 

Hubert : 
I am heartily sorry to have given 
Offence, Horace; yea, heartily. 

Horace : 
There's no offence, my Lord. 

Hubert : 
Yes, by Saint Peter, but there is, and 
Much inexcusable offence too. Now in 
Regard to the apparition ; that is. my 
Secret ; it was not a scarecrow let me 
Tell you, but a real spirit returned 
From the infinite world. For your very 
Natural curiosity to know what passed 
Between us, overcome it as best you can. 
And now, good friends, as you are known 
To be scholars as well as soldiers, grant 
Me one poor request. 

Martin : 
With pleasure, my Lord ; what is it ? 

Hubert : 
Never to make known what you have seen 
To-night. 

Horace and Martin : 
We give you our solemn promise that we 
Will not. 

Hubert : 
Nay, but swear it. 

Upon my faith, not L 

Horace : 
Nor I, in all good faith. 

Hubert : 
Upon your knees. {Hubert kneels) 

Martin : 
Our oaths hold good without that. 

Hubert : 
Come, upon your knees, I beseech you. 

Spirit (in the air) : 
Kneel. 

Hubert; 
Ha, ha, hear! — that voice came from 
Above; but it was not, as you might 
Think, the utterance of a spirit of 
The air, but only some clever ventriloquist. 
To escape this rogue, let's shift our ground. 
So ; now consent you ? 

Scene L — A Room in the White House. 

(Enter Weyler, Catharine, Rosecrans, Gildersleeve 
and Attendants) 

Weyler : 
Welcome, dear Rosecrans and Gildersleeve! 
The urgent need we had of you was 
The reason of our hasty message ; yet 
Too, we have ever longed to see you. 
You must have heard a whisper of Hubert's 



Martin ; 



Horace; 
Prescribe the oath, and we will do it. 

Hubert; 
Never to speak of this that you have seen. 
Kneel and swear. 

Spirit (in the air) 
Kneel and swear. 

Hubert : 
Upon my soul ! this fellow it seems would 
Shadow us : he moves about aloft with 
Wondrous ease and accuracy: a most 
Skillful aviator. Once more remove, 
Good friends. 

Horace : 
O shades of night, but this is marvelous! 

Hubert : 
And as a miracle, you must entertain 
It : be glad that you have witnessed it. 
And seek not to understand. There are 
More things in heaven and earth, Horace, 
Than the sum total of your or any 
Other man's philosophy. But to the 
Oath once more: that you, at other times 
And elsewhere, when I through an antick 
Disposition will have aroused your ire, 
Or perchance our friendship will have 
Cooled, that you with some suggestive 
Action, as placing your arms akimbo. 
Or a head shake thus, say : "We could 
Tell strange things of him," or "We know 
A dreadful secret, but he bound us not 
To speak," or some ambiguous look which 
Breeds suspicion: that you will not do 
These things ; and so you swear. 

Spirit (as Horace and Martin kneel) : 
Swear. 

Hubert : 
Rest, rest perturbed spirit. 
Now, Gentlemen, you have by this kind 
Act, my love for you much strengthened ; 
And what so poor a youth as Hubert can 
Do for you, God willing, you shall not 
Lack. Let us go in together: and still 
Your fingers on your lips, I pray : the 
Times are greatly out of joint that's sure; 
But the saying's true, although a trifle trite. 
One only Man's a fool, who thinks to set them right. 



ACT III 



(Exeunt) 



Conversion ; so I call it, since his sullen 
Moods and violent outbreaks denote a 
Startling change : what it can be, other 
Than his father's death, which hath put 
Him on bad terms with himself, I cannot 
Conceive of. I entreat you both, that being 
Of his age and loving comrades to him. 
And so, firmly welded to his fits and 
Fancies, that you consent to stay at our 
Court some little time, to keep his company; 



156 



THE THIRD TERM 



And by your sportive ingenuity to draw 
Him on to pleasures ; and to observe too 
His moody spells, and what doth bring them 
On; so that covert matters may be thus 
Disclosed, and rectified, if aught there 
Is which lies within our remedy. 

Catharine : 
Kind sirs, he often has you both on 
His tongue by name, and I am sure he 
Does think very dearly of you. You know 
Somewhat, no doubt, of a mother's solicitude 
For an only child, and therefore why I 
Grasp at any straw which promises his cure. 
Will you. Gentlemen, remain with us a 
While, and undertake this office? 

ROSECRANS : 

To try to help Hubert, is a duty we 
Gladly welcome: but your majesties should 
Exercise your sovereign power, and put 
Your dread wishes, into commands rather 
Than entreaties. 

GiLDERSLEEVE : 

We joyfully obey, and here dedicate 
Ourselves heartily to this task ; and may 
Success crown our efforts to restore 
Hubert to health and reason. 

Weyler : 
Our thanks will follow any measure of 
Success : remember that, Rosecrans and 
Stalwart Gildersleeve, for 'tis no mean 
Reward. 

Catharine: 
Thanks, gentle Gentlemen : and I beseech 
You to instantly join my afflicted son. 
Leave, some of you, and take these two 
Where Hubert is. 

Gildersleeve; 
All the healing graces, make our 
Ministrations and watchful care helpful 
To him. 

Catharine: 
Amen, to that! (Exeunt Rosecrans, 

Gildersleeve, and some Attendants) 

Weyler : 
I played the part of the tamed tiger 
To them, for it answers my purposes: 
But this obstinate and perverse son 
Of yours shall soon feel my claws. 
He had best beware. 

Catharine : 
My husband, I pray you to proceed slowly: 
Try to some extent to o'erlook his faults. 
(Aside) I am afraid I have bous^ht a 
Shallow fleeting glory, and paid too 
Great a price. 

(Enter Hamilton) 

Hamilton : 
My lord ; the two courtiers, whom you 
Sent on a mission to the Royal Governors, 
Have just arrived. 



Weyler : 
'Tis well: Hamilton, you have ever been 
The harbinger of glad tidings. 

Hamilton ; 
If I have I am very glad, for it 
Has always been the first wish of my 
Soul, to be of use to you : and on 
This line I have another thing to 
Report, which I think will prove good 
News ; that I have lit upon the cause 
Of Hubert's madness. 

Weyler : 
Oh, speak of it ; that do I long to hear ; 
For weak he is, yet fills my soul with fear. 
(Aside) My guilty conscience pictures him 
Avenger ! 

Hamilton : 
First give an audience to the courtiers, 
And taste their news ; my tale shall follow 
As a fruit to that great feast. 

Weyler : 
Thyself be the bearer of our invitation, 
And bring them in. (E.rit Hamilton) 
He tells me, Queen Catharine, that he 
Has found the origin of Hubert's strange 
Malady ; to know the cause will facilitate 
The cure. 

Cath.'\rine: 
Alas, my heart tells the secret of his 
Sad change : his father done to violent 
Death, and our too hasty marriage. 

Weyler : 
Damnation ! too hasty ; yes, you have 
Already made me repent of the bargain. 

(Re-enter Hamilton with Cornelius and Valentine) 
Trusty Cornelius and Valentine, welcome! — 
Now, Gentlemen, what do the Royal 
Governors, these men who hold their 
Authority in fief from our central 
Glory, say in answer to our demands? 

Cornelius : 
Most fiery oaths of allegiance and 
Fidelity to your highness ; with many 
A wish couched in smooth and elegant 
Phrase, for your long life and ever 
Waxing power: this being done they 
Address them to your commandment; whose 
Terms, set down on paper with rich ink 
And ornamental flourishes to show its 
Exalted origin, ordered them to 
Suppress the recruiting of the republic's 
Army, from the ranks of your militia. 

Weyler : 
Ah, ha, and what was the result? 
Valentine : 
This ; that you are too much an adept 
In politics, not to know that your 
Supporters come from those turbulent 
Elements of society, who never at 
Peace with their surroundings or themselves, 



THE THIRD TERM 



157 



Are ever ready to join any wicked 
Assaults upon established peace and 
Order: but the better classes, the law- 
Abiding are slow to become aroused, 
And slow to use stringent methods ; once 
Woke and wrought up to the fighting pitch 
However, they are unconquerable. These 
Conservative forces are forming two 
Large armies ; one to operate within the 
States, and the other advancing on Washington, 
To besiege you here and regain the government. 
The lofty spirit and patriotic self-sacrifice 
Of their soldiers, are infecting our ranks 
And causing many deserters. The Royal 
Governors, say that only some cruel remedy 
Will stop this, such as wholesale executions; 
And by these papers do appeal to you to 
Ratify their order, that all deserters, 
Shall upon capture at once be sliot. 

Weyler : 
Your speech is very blunt; but we'll forgive 
You, because we want the facts, and must 
Admit too that we have a natural affinity 
With evil. (Reads papers) We like this well; 
And our next official act will be to 
Sign and return this document ; and any 
One upon the roll books of our army. 
Who joins these rebel hordes, shall forfeit 
His life; yea even if the victim be 
A member of mine own household. 
Meantime we thank you for your labor: 
Go to your leisure ; to-night we will 
Feast together. (Exeunt Cornelius and Valentine) 

Hamilton : 
This matter was well disposed of. 
My liege and Madam — he that has something 
To say; had better not do like the 
Man who eats his fish with tireless 
Persistence and picks away until nothing 
Remains to delight him but the bones: 
Therefore since brevity is the soul of 
Wit, and prolixity is naught but empty 
Flourishes ; I will be brief : your noble 
Son is mad : mad call I it ; for to 
Truly define madness, what is it after 
All the doctors' Latin terms, but to be 
Mad? 

Catharine : 
Your wit to-day has not much brevity. 
And yet it has much soul ; it does 
Much amuse me ; and still it makes me 
Sad, for it tells me nothing new. 

Hamilton; 
The cause ; that you would know ? for where 
There seems no cause, we grope in darkness: 
Then listen : I have a daughter ; or rather 
Had, for she has fallen in love, who. 
From duty and obedience most rare, has 
Given me these missives. (Opens one) 
Muse and be amused : with your pardon. (Reads) 
"To the adorable and beautified Ainelia," 



Beautified; a pretty word, but a vile 
Phrase when used here: but to continue: 
"1 send you these roses, to plant in 
Your snowy bosom : O, that they be not 
Chilled by that chaste frost." 

Catharine (astonished) : 
Did Hubert write thus to her? 

Hamilton; 
Dear Madam, wait a little, there is more. (Reads) 
"From their fixed places in the skies. 
Could I the gemmy stars unset, ■ 
I'd place them on Amelia's brow, 
A constellated coronet." 
Would you believe a human being could 
Be brought to write such trash : he is gone ; 
Far gone: and truly in my youth I suffered 
Such extremity for love: it makes idiots 
Of us all. 

Now the finish: "Oh, Amelia, 
These are ill lines : I have no art to 
Write poetry; never having cared for 
It before I met you. Hubert." 

Weyler : 
But, if he writes thus to her, why 
Does he not show ardor, when they are 
Together? How long ago did these 
Letters pass? 

Hamilton : 
Some months ago, before your grace ever 
Met Hubert and his mother ; when they first 
Came to Washington, and you counselled 
Me to make their friendship : soon after 
Their receipt she showed them to me. 

Weyler : 
Did you chide her, or show displeasure 
In any way, might I ask? 

Hamilton : 
I have ever tried to think of your 
Liege's interests before my own : when 
I saw this hot love on the wing ; I 
Told her that I knew of thing's which 
Would make the destiny of Hubert, as 
Gaudy as the orbit of a star ; and bade 
Her turn a deaf ear to all his sickly 
Love ; to admit no messengers, receive 
No tokens : which done, she dutifully 
Obeyed ; and he repulsed, fell into 
The six stages of unrequited love: first 
Into a sadness ; second into a fast ; 
Then to a watch ; then to a weakness ; 
Then to a lightness ; and next in the 
Order of decline, into the madness 
Whereat we grieve. 

Weyler : 
By jove, I think you've hit it right; 
At least there is some proof for such 
Belief. Hamilton, you know how I look 
Upon this matter now? 

Hamilton : 
Yes, you told me you favored their union ; 
And I have lately told Amelia so. 



158 



THE THIRD TERM 



And gave her a carte blanche to make 
Love to Hubert. 

Weyler : 
Well we must by some happy trick, turn 
Our assumption into certainty, or else 
Let the shock of some disclosure upset 
It altogether. 

Hamilton : 
I have hit upon a plan, and think it 
Will pass muster: Hubert makes it a 
Practice to often walk within the lobby 
Just without there : at a time we fix 
Upon I'll loose Amelia to him ; and 
You and I behind that velvet-hanger will 
View the encounter: if he loves her not. 
And be not from his senses parted on 
That account, let me no longer be Lord 
Chamberlain, but driver of a yoke of oxen. 

Weyler : 
Upon my soul, it seems a good way, 
And we will try it. 

Catharine: 
If love has unmade him, love can restore 
Him : it is an attribute of God ; and no 
One's case is hopeless, over whom it 
Has not lost all power. But see there, 
The poor wretch sadly approaches, reading. 

Hamilton : 
Away, I do entreat you ; leave us alone 
Together, I'll quiz him presently. 

Catharine: 

So be it. (Exeunt Weyler, Catharine, and Attendants) 

{Enter Hubert, reading) 

Hamilton : 
How is my good Lord Hubert? 

Hubert : 
Indifferently well, I thank you. 

Hamilton : 
You do not seem to know me. 
Hubert : 
Oh. ves, excellent well ; you are a 
Politician. 

Hamilton : 
Egad, not I, my Lord. 

Hubert : 
Then I would you were so honest a man. 

Hamilton : 
Are politicians honest? 

Hubert : 
They are honest to the dishonest 
Influences they represent. 

Hamilton (aside) : 
Whew ! if that be madness, would we had 
More that are not in their risfht mind. 
(To Hubert) That is very true. 

Hubert : 
Oh, that you could be faithful to something: 
You have sold yourself to the Dictator; 
He is dishonest, and yet you are not 
Honest with him. You have a daughter? 



Hamilton : 
You know I have, my Lord. 

Hubert : 
Keep her from men's company : conception 
Is blessed, but not as your daughter 
Might conceive. 

Hamilton : 
How, sir? 

Hubert : 
For if the sun breeds maggots in a dead 
Dog: this being the deplorable result 
Of the sun-god kissing a carrion : what 
Might not come if appetite should tempt 
Your daughter to kiss a knave. Friend, 
Look to it. 

Hamilton (aside) : 
'Tis plain he has my daughter in his 
Thoughts ; perhaps he'll let out something : 
I will speak to him again. What are you 
Reading, my lord? 

Hubert : 
Words, words, words. 

Hamilton : 
But what is their meaning, my lord? 

Hubert : 
They have no meaning: because the book 
Treats of the utterances of a demagogue: 
One who promised the people wealth in 
Return for power: having fooled them 
Out of the power, he instead of making 
Them prosperous, used up what little 
Substance they had in the expenses of 
His royalty, his standing armies, and 
The riotous living of his partisans. 
This book was once looked upon as 
Visionary, and the author dubbed 
Fanciful; but these present times here 
In our country give it proof. 

Hamilton (aside) : 
Is this madness? if it is there's method 
In it. Will you walk away from this 
Draft, my lord? 

Hubert : 
Where ; into my grave ? 

Hamilton : 
Indeed, that is getting rid of drafts. 
(Aside) How apt sometimes his replies are! 
A felicity in statement which often 
Madness hits on. while reason and sanity 
Often flounders in expression. I will 
Leave him and later plan a sudden meeting 
'Twixt him and my daughter. My honored 
Lord I will now humbly take my leave. 

Hubert : 
In takinsr your leave, you take from me 
That with which I'd soonest part ; — except 
My life ; except my life. 

Hamilton : 
His sarcasm cuts to the bone. 



THE THIRD TERM 



159 



Hubert : 
These imperturbable and self-satisfied 
Old men. 

(Enter Rosecrans and Gildersleeve) 
Hamilton : 
If you come to seek young Hubert, he's 
Over there. 

Rosecrans : 
Thank you, sir. {Exit Hamilton) 

Gildersleeve {shaking Hubert's hand) 
Mine own true friend! 

Rosecrans {also shaking) : 
My most dear lord ! 

Hubert : 
Excellent good friends ! How are you Rosecrans ? 
And you worthy Gildersleeve? my college chums, 
And constant comrades at the theatre : how 
Do you both? 

Rosecrans : 
Oh, we still belong to that party of 
The vast majority, the unknown and 
Unnoticed. 

Gildersleeve : 
Happy we are, because we're not overhappy: 
We swim not upon the huge fortune waves 
Which beat against the shore, but in the 
Smoother calmer water. 

Hubert : 
What's the latest news? 

Gildersleeve : 
Nothing more, dear sir, but that the world's 
Grown honest. 

Hubert : 
Then is doomsday near. But let me ask you, 
My dear friends, what brought you hither? 

Rosecrans : 
We are informed that you are in low 
Spirits, and are set about to cheer you 
Up. We have a good piece of news for 
You: we passed our old friends, the stock 
Company of players, on the way, and they 
Will soon be here. 

Hubert : 
That is indeed, the best of news. So the 
Dictator, has told you that I am sick: 
Well 'tis true beyond a doubt: I am 
Sick of his ambition. 

Gildersleeve : 
Ambition, my lord ; why that is but a 
Shadow. 

Hubert: 
Nay. I will go further than you, and 
Hold that ambition is made of so light 
And poor material, that it is but the 
Shadow of a shadow. 

Rosecrans : 
But how about the players? Do you feel 
In the mood for them ; will you hear 
Them play? 

Hubert : 
Eagerly : I will be most attentive and 



Appreciative. He that plays the King, 
Shall be treated most royally; his majesty 
Shall have tribute of me: the adventurous 
Knight, shall use his lance and target 
Freely: the lover, shall not sigh unclapped: 
The humorous man, shall alter the lines 
To his own liking: the clown, shall make 
Even confirmed dispeptics laugh: and the 
Leading lady, shall be affected and gushing. 
Though it is not so writ down in the lines. 

Rosecrans.- 
Well, they will soon be here. {Flourish 

of trumpets is heard) And here the Thespians 
Come; bringing their own music. 

{Enter five Players) 
Hubert : 
My good friends : I am delighted to see 
You here: you are welcome, masters, all 
Welcome. 

The Players: 
Many thanks, my lord. 

Hubert : 
I hope that you are all well. Oh, my 
Old friend, the star. You have p^rown whiskers 
Since we parted; comest thou to beard me 
In Washington? What, my youncr and charmmg 
Soubrette. Your morals have at last improved: 
Your ladvship is nearer heaven just now, 
By the thickness of your wooden clogs: 
Pray God that your voice like your shoes, 
Contain now no cracks. How do you all 
Prosper? 

The Star: 
My lord, our profession is ruined, and 
Our lofty art, has fallen into decay. 
The managers are all so intent on the 
Box-office, that the interests of Food 
Drama suffer. Nothinp' but a olentiful 
Revelation of charms, displayed in such 
A way as to lead the beholder to imacrine 
That the further suoply is inexhaustible. 
Will suffice : well-shaoed hams and carmine 
Complexions command hieh premiums. 

Hubert : 
I have heard of this declension, and was 
Much grieved. 

The Star: 
The drama, like all other thing's, has been 
Commercialized. The public fancy, quick 
To deeenerate : tempted by the managers 
Has fallen, and will now accent nothinsr 
But a gaudy stasre picture, lisrht and trivial : 
Audiences will not stand for anything that 
Makes them think. 

Hubert : 
But is nothing done to stem this tide? 

The Star: 
Oh yes ; several celebrated critics, 
Inveieh against it with such force and 
Persistence, that the no longer fashion 
Of swords on the stage, is partly made 



i6o 



THE THIRD TERM 



Up by goose-quills among the auditors: 
But their cries of ruin to the art, 
And the prostitution of the stage, meet 
With no better results than that the 
Public turn a deaf ear, patronize the 
Plays, and the receipts at the box-office 
Confirm the managers in their vices. 

SouBRETTE (spitefully) : 
Then along came the Photo-plays, and the 
Public grew so fond of them, that we were 
Compelled to act in them instead of 
The drama. 

Hubert : 
Well, how do you like that business? 

SoUBRETTE : 

Beastly, my lord ; for the real artists who 
Had been in the habit of playing before 
Critics, and audiences of much culture, 
Were now forced to act with so-called 
Beautiful girls, whose chief aim in life 
Was to pose, and roll their eyes, and 
Look fascinating, with nothing but the 
Camera to intimidate them ; with the 
Thought too that they could soon sit with 
The audiences and look upon their own 
Vain pictures. 

The Comedian: 
Don't you believe her, my lord, she's 
Only jealous. 

Hubert (to Star) 
But now to the delights of your declamation. 
I heard thee speak a speech once ; but it 
Was never acted : or at least not more 
Than once ; for the play was by an unknown 
Author, without reputation, and the matter 
Had to stand on its merits ; besides this 
Its subtle, psychologic, subjective spirit. 
Did not appeal to the masses; it was too 
Classic for the average playgoer: but it 
Was to me, and to many others whose tastes 
Were like mine, a most graphic play; with 
Intense plot, quick action, and language 
Of ereat eloquence and lire. This speech I 
Chief! V loved, wfis the hero's recital of 
Theodosius' ambition, and ran thus: 
"The miehty Theodosius ; he whose sable thoughts, 
Black as his purpose, did the nisfht resemble; 
To gratify his cruel ambition, sought the 
Republic to destroy. Honored by the people 
As Consul for two terms, he conspired for 
Another; hoping in this way to break down 
The customs of the country, and to assume 
The power supreme. — " 

The Star: 
I remember those lines well. 

Hubert : 
Proceed you then with the rest. 

The Star: 
"But who hath seen the youno- children playing 
On the streets, and hath not wished to see 
Their pranks and pleasant days continue? 



And what does this power-loving tyrant's 
Base design mean to them? When his false 
Lies and treachery, shall make him still 
Longer rule against the traditions of 
The land ; and thus one peg removed, the 
Liberty-loving structure, will soon be 
Leveled with the dust? He lays his plots 
And plans with the cunning of the devil ; 
And with a tongue in venom steeped, works 
Up the evil passions of the mob." 

Gildersleeve : 
This is too long. 

Hubert : 
Then it is like your nails; for they need 
The manicure. Prithee, say on: he cares 
For naught but a jig or a bawdy tale. 
Say on; come to Laocoon. 

The Star: 
"All now seemed over for the cause of 
Liberty, and those many free and liberal 
Arts which the republic had brought ; when, 
Alost wonderful ! a huge serpent came from 
The sea and coiled its slimy folds around 
Him, and held him firmly in its embrace, 
As happened long ago to the unfortunate 
Laocoon : a monstrous thing generated by 
His own ambition. And there he sat and 
Could not move a hand or foot ; while grateful 
People overcome with gratitude to heaven, 
Shouted their hosannas and smiled through 
Eyes half filled with tears." 

ROSECRANS : 

Well I declare, if he has not turned 
His color ; and look you at those tears 
In his eyes : the thing is real to him. 

Hubert; 
'Twas fine ! I will have you speak the rest 
Soon. (To Rosecrans) Will you go with the 
Players, and see them properly bestowed ? 
Give them good quarters, for they are the 
Abstracts and chroniclers in brief of the times: 
You had better have a careless executor 
Allow a bad epitaph put on your tombstone, 
Than to have these actors character you 
In the part of the villain. Follow him. 
Friends : we'll hear you play before many 
Days. (Exeunt Rosecrans, Gildersleeve, and all the 

Players but the Star) 
These photoplays, or moving pictures as 
They call them ; could you present them here 
Acording to a sketch of mine ; with a 
Speech of some two score lines, which I 
Will compose for your speaking? 

The Star: 
At your service always. (Exit the Star) 

Hubert : 
Thanks be to fortune, now I am alone. 
Oh, what an ingrate, what a slave am I: 
Is not my apathy monstrous? when this 
Player here but in a fiction, in a dream 
Of passion, could force his soul so to 



THE THIRD TERM 



l6l 



Assume distress, that in the working all 

His color paled ; tears in his eyes, distraction 

In his aspect, a broken voice, and eloquent 

Gestures all natural to the deceit. And 

All for nothing : for the dread of Theodosius ; 

Naught but a scrap from ancient history: 

While I, a leading actor in such very 

Crimes which moved him so, show no sensibility. 

What would he do had he the motive and 

The spur to emotion that I have? he would 

Drown the very stage with tears, and cleave 

The air with passionate speech ; make mad 

The guilty and affright the innocent ; and 

Amaze indeed the eye and ear faculties. 

Yet I, coward that I am, who should be 

Made pregnant to the bearing, with the justice 

Of my cause, sit slothful, and can do nothing: 

No; not for a father killed, a mother 

Fouled, a country wrecked ; and urged to 

Vengeance too by supernatural power. 



Were I in truth a man, I should have 
Fatted the vulture kites with this tyrant's 
Offal : bloody cruel villain ; remorseless, 
Treacherous, treasonous villain: I'll no 
Longer wait for a fair quarrel to kill 
Him, but on the first excuse that will 
My conscience ease, I'll stick him under 
The ribs. In the interim I'll seek more 
Proof to verify the spirit's story of 
My father's murder. I have heard that 
Guilty creatures witnessing a play, where 
The villainies are like their own, have 
Been so struck to the soul with fear, that 
Their agitation has led to discovery: 
For the murdered though they have lost 
The use of tongue, yet still have miraculous 
Organs of speech. Then to the moving picture 
Drama ; this photo-play's the thing, wherein 
I'll wrack the conscience of the would-be King. 
(Exit) 



ACT IV 



Scene I. — A lobby in the White House. 

(Enter Weyler, Catharine, Hamilton, Amelia, Rose- 
crans and Gildersleeve.) 

Weyler : 
Now in regard to Hubert : can you not 
By artful and crafty question find out 
What we so desire to know? What is to 
Be the definite aim and object of 
This lunacy ; whether he harbors any 
Dangerous design against our person? 

Rosecrans : 
He does confess himself distracted, and 
Is in a most revengeful mood ; but from 
What cause he will not say: nor can 
We make him by the most adroit of 
Questions. 

Gildersleeve : 
He acts like a man who has some dark 
And sinister purpose, and carefully guards 
The secret for fear a leak might damage it. 

Weyler : 
That's just my idea. 

Catharine : 
Did he receive you well? 

Rosecrans : 
Warmly; but his spirits seemed forced. 

Catharine : 
iDid you assay him to any sport or pastime ? 

Gildersleeve : 
Madam, it so fell out that we passed 
Certain old player friends of his and 
Ours, and invited them here : when we 
Told him they were coming, there did seem 
In him a suppressed joy, and then he 
Fell into deep thought. They are already 
Arrived ; and we are soon to see some 
Acting. 



Rosecrans : 
Yes, within a few nights they are to 
Present a play: and he beseeched me 
To entreat vour majesties to promise 
Your attendance. 

Weyler : 
With all my heart : for it does much 
Ouiet me to hear him so inclined. 
Good Gentlemen, give this whim new life 
iBy constant nraise, and drive him deeper 
Into this hobby. 

Rosecrans: 
We shall obey you. Sir. 

(Exeunt Rosecrans and Gildersleeve") 

Hamilton : 
Now we will leave Amelia here, and trust 
That Hubert will soon come as is his 
Custom ; whilst we unseen will spy upon 
Them, and gather from his talk, whether 
The affliction that he suffers from be 
Love or no. I will wager that we will 
Then say: this is the very ecstasy of 
Love ; whose better parts when sown with 
Violence, may lead the will to desperate 
Undertakings, as oft as any passion under 
Heaven that doth afflict our natures. 

Weyler : 
■I am too proud to play the eavesdropper: 
Scheming I like ; but will not stand with 
My ear to the keyhole and listen. 
Hamilton : 
My Liege, sit you here upon this sofa. 
Which faces the fireplace ; whose antique 
Back affords a partial screen. Why should 
You leave out of nicety of hearing the 
Idle talk of two love-sick sucklings ; one 
Of them your step-son and the other my 
Daughter ? 



l62 



THE THIRD TERM 



Weyler : 
Your ethics seem plausible enough, and 
We'll remain. Thus do we go from bad to 
Worse, and with our sophistries sugar o'er 
Even the devil himself. (Aside) The 
Harlot's cheek beautified with plastering 
Art, is not more ugly to the pure and 
'Innocent, than is my crime against Peabody 
To my dying conscience. 

(Weyler and Hamilton seat themselves) 
Catharine: 
And now to leave you alone, Amelia. 
I do hope this hour may show that 
Your ripe beauties are the charming cause 
Of Hubert's wildness ; if so, the virtue 
In them rightfully applied will prove 
A most soothing medicine. 

Amelia : 
Madam, I would like to think so, but 
Modesty forbids. (Exit Catharine) 

(Amelia sits down and takes up a book) 
(Enter Hubert) 

Hubert : 
To be or not to be ; that is the question : 
Whether it is better to stagger through 
Life, with a burden too great to bear; 
Heavy debts, large family, ill health : 
Or to make your bed, lie down, and forget 
It all in sleep ; a sleep that knows no 
Waking : this seems the easiest way out 
Of the problem, to wipe it from the slate. 
But sleep ; what is it ? when we lie down 
To rest, our sleep is tempered with sweet 
Dreams, or horrible nightmares, according 
As our conscience is ; and besides, we slumber 
More blissfully and sound, because we're 
Sure of waking : as this is so, then let 
Us reason likewise in regard to the sleep 
We know as death ; that we had better be 
Prepared ; and sustained and soothed by 
An unfalterinjj trust, we close our eyes 
With the sure hope that we shall yet 
In the morning rise again. Then let us 
Take in good part the heart-aches and the 
Numerous sudden shocks that flesh falls 
Heir to : the oppressor's lash, the proud 
Man's contumely, the gnawing pangs of despis'd 
Love, the law's tedious delays, the faithless 
Office-holder, and the scorn with which the 
Unworthy treat the effort of patient merit ; 
All these hard knocks but make us sleep 
The sounder, and will have been forgot when 
We awake. — But softer in my speech, for 
There's the fair Amelia : nymph, in thy 
Orisons, I prav you plead also for the 
Forgiveness of my sins. 

Amelia : 
Good, my Lord ; how does your honor for 
This many a day ? 

Hubert : 
Well, I thank you ; very well. 



Amelia : 
My Lord, I have some tokens of yours 
Which I have thought to return : I 
Pray you now receive them. 

Hubert : 
Are you not mistaken; did I ever give 
You aught? 

Amelia : 
Yes, yes, you know right well you did; 
And with them words of so sweet breath 
Composed, that made them still more rich: 
Their perfume lost, take them back ; for to 
The noble mind, rare gifts do fade when 
The giver proves unkind. Here, take them. 

Hubert: (Tempted by the charming girl with ex- 
tended arms, but ignoring the gifts) 
Ha, ha! are you honest? 

Amelia : 
Why ask a young maid that ? 

Hubert : 
Are you fair? 

Amelia : 
What means your lordship? 

Hubert : 
That if you are honest and fair, your 
Chastity should admit no approach to 
Your beauty. 

Amelia : 
Does not the spell of beauty stimulate 
Honesty, and all the other virtues? 

Hubert : 
Positively no : for the glamour of beauty 
Is more like to seduce honesty to 
Become a bawd, than homely honesty 
Shall elevate beauty to his level. 
A false estimate of endowments, made 
This for a while a paradox ; but now 
It is known to be possible. — I loved 
You once. 

Amelia : 
Indeed, I fondly hoped so. 

Hubert : 
But that is past. Get thee to a 
Convent: give up all thoughts of marriage: 
Why would you be a breeder of sinners? 
I am myself indifferent honest ; and yet 
I could accuse me of such things that 
It were better my mother had not bore 
Me : I am verv proud, revengeful, ambitious ; 
With more offences at my elbow, than I 
Have thoughts to dress them in, imagination 
To give them shape, or time to act them 
In. Why should such fellows be thrown in 
The play only to make mischief? Men are 
Arrant knaves, all; trust none of us: 
And women are no better. 

Amelia : 
Surely, my Lord, these are but wild and 
Untruthful words. 



THE THIRD TERM 



163 



Hubert : 
Dedicate yourself to celibacy, by taking 
The veil ; or if you must marry, marry 
A fool, for wise men cannot understand 
You. I have heard of your paintings, too, 
Ever so much : God has given you one 
Face, and with your cosmetics you make 
Yourself another: you flirt, you simper. 
And you lisp, and nickname God's creatures 
Out of mere wantonness, not ignorance. 
Go to, I'll no more of it ; it has made 
Me mad. Profit you by the weakness of 
Your sex ; to a convent go ; and quickly, 
Too. 

Amelia : 
My Lord, the sudden change in you grieved 
Me so and was withal so strange, that I 
Have sought to solve it; and hear that 
Your mother's hasty wedding, so soon after 
Your dear father's loss, has embittered 
You against all women: is this true? 

Hubert : 
Yes, 'tis true 'tis pity, and pity 
'Tis 'tis true. 

Amelia : 
Melancholy seldom uses reason, but I 
Had hoped that you were too fair to 
Condemn all women for the fault of one. 
Women are good and true, my Lord, even 
If some of them prove false : come throw 
Off these dismal thoughts : it is not fair 
To your friends, nor is it justice to 
Your young and growing self : put your faith 
In me, and I will never give you cause 
To regret it. 

Hubert : ( Taking her hand and searching her face) 
These words sound fair: can I trust you? 
And will you through pleasure and pain. 
Plenty and adversity, prove true? 

Amelia : 
My Lord, a virtuous woman will rise 
Superior to calumny ; and a good woman 
Has been the salvation of many a man. 
Who like yourself has reached the point 
Where reason is merged into faith, or 
Else is lost in madness. Let me help you. 

Hubert : 
I look into your eyes, and is it love 
Which beams there? It must be for all 
My buoyant youth and spirits are coming 
Back again. {Takes her in his arms) 

{Enter Spirit of Washington) 
{Hubert breaks away from Amelia, guiltily) 
Save me, and hover o'er me with your 
Wings, you heavenly guardians ! — What would 
Your gracious figure ? 

Amelia : 
Alas, he grows delirious ! 

Hubert : 
I see you come my tardiness to chide ; 
For lost in ease, and forsaken of righteous 



Passion, I still put off the instant 

Acting of your dread and virtuous command. 

Spirit : 
Stand not amazed, nor wonder at this 
Visitation. Thy holy purpose already 
Nearly blunted, was about to vanish 
Before this fair maid's charms : my more 
Than human wisdom led me here at the 
Critical time. Hubert, it is proper that 
Some men should the primrose path of 
Dalliance tread; to aspire to no more 
Than a handsome form, fashionable attire, 
And the favors of fair ladies : but others 
Are destined for a far more serious and 
Noble purpose. There are always great things 
To be done in the world, and men who 
Live on vanity, are not great enough 
To do them: think little of yourself, Hubert, 
And much of your poor country's plight. 

Hubert : 
I beseech you to pardon this my grievous 
Fall from grace : my most willful and criminal 
Neglect of duty. 

Spirit : 
Jf your sorow is real, and poignant grief 
Doth rankle at your heart ; let your remorse 
Spur you to double zeal : and with prayers 
For infinite aid, proceed at once to rid 
The nation of this foul usurper: but first 
With sympathetic words, soothe the breast 
Of this sweet girl ; and in the future with 
Simulated and assumed neglect, wipe from 
Her recollection, all traces of thy graven 
Image, and leave her heart free as you 
Found her. Farewell ; this time forever. 

Hubert: {as Spirit retires) 
Oh say not so ; I hope that we shall 
Meet again: if not on earth; in Heaven. 
Amelia : {approaches Hubert) 
Alas how is 't with you ; that you do 
Fix your gaze on vacancy, and with 
The invisible air do hold discourse? 
Your eyes it seems would start from your 
Head, and your hair even subject to alarm. 
Rises up and stands on end. Oh, gentle 
Hubert, I pray you keep your poise and 
Balance. 

Hubert: {taking Amelia by hand) 
Forgive me for the gfreat wrong I have 
Done you ; for which, God helping me, I 
Will make you much amends. Come now, forget 
That you are a girl, and be a woman: 
Show me that your love is real, and not 
Merely a thine to be used to bring you 
Personal gratification : can vou rise above 
It and show a spirit of self-sacrifice? 

Amelia : 
Oh, Hubert, don't go back to these strange 
Notions. 

Hubert : 
Trust me ; I have a great duty to perform ; 



164 



THE THIRD TERM 



And what you think are morbid fancies. 
Are the remorse of broken promises. 
I need a true woman's help, but not love : 
Will you give up all thought of marriage, 
And help me with your faith and courage 
To keep my pledge? 

Amelia: 
I don't know ; I will try. 

Hubert : 
There, that's a true girl ; and the sweetness 
And joy that comes from this self-sacrifice, 
Will be far richer than to eat the fruits 
Of love. {Looking at her earnestly) 
I am sure that I can trust you. {Exit) 

Amelia: 
Oh, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown! 
And I, of ladies most deject and wretched, 
That loved the music of his honey-vows. 
Now see that most harmonious reason, like 
Sweet bells jangling; out of tune and harsh; 
That unmatched figure and features of 
Blown youth, blasted with mania. Oh, woe 
Is me, to have seen what I have seen. 
See what I see! {Exit Amelia) 

Hamilton : 
What think you now? Does it not seem 
That all his malady, is nothing but 
That universal distemper, that bewildering 
Fascinating pleasure and pain provoking 
Ecstasy and agony called love? 

Weyler : 
Love ! — he has no affections to extend ; 
For what he spake, though it had some 
Form, was naught but madness : first sarcastic, 
Then loving, then hysterical, then inconstant: 
This shows the wavering mind, a sure sign 
Of insanity. There's some dark passion in 
His soul, o'er which his melancholy sits 
On brood, and may yet hatch out some 
Murderous malice 'gainst myself, as I 
Seem the centre of his hatred. For that 
Reason, he shall away to Guatemala ; 
Whose just made King is friendly to our 
Throne, as soon as I can think upon 
The means. Perchance the scenes and people 
Different, with strange customs and manners 
Too, will act as antidote and expel 
This venomous substance from his heart. 

{Exeunt) 
Scene II.— A Corridor in the White House. 

{Enter Hubert, Horace, and the Players) 

Hubert: 
Now my worthy actors ; all ornaments of the stage, 
in your several lines, will you pardon me while I ad- 
dress a few words to the star; he having the only 
speaking part, whilst you appear upon the canvas? 

The Players: 
Go right ahead, my Lord. 

Hubert {to Star) : 
Speak the speech, I pray you, exactly as I pro- 



nounced it to you ; for save that an author has not 
the skill, melody of voice nor grace of action of you 
actors ; yet his lines are sometimes the offspring of a 
divine inspiration, and his conception is far beyond 
any genius of the reciter. Of course there be authors 
of mediocre ability, and even now and then masters 
of their art, who hear the delivery of their composi- 
tion, and are startled and amazed at the revelation of 
new beauty. Never bellow forth what you have to 
say, like a court-crier ; nor whip the air too much with 
your hands : but alike in the quiet and tempestuous 
passages, use discretion. Oh, it oflfends me to the soul, 
to hear a robust wig-pated fellow tear a passion to 
tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the sfallery- 
gods, who for the most part are capable of nothing but 
inexplicable dumb shows and noise : I would have such 
a fellow whipped for o'erdoing Termagant ; it out- 
herods Herod, yea out-roosevelts Roosevelt: pray you 
avoid it. 

The Star: 
Never fear ; you can trust your lines with me. 

Hubert : 
In all your interpretations, let nature be your tutor: 
be natural : keeping well in mind the function of the 
staee ; whose aim always has been to instruct the peo- 
ple how to live well : that virtue never fails of re- 
ward, and vice and crime meet with inevitable retri- 
bution. Many of you actors seem to think that the 
main purpose of the drama, is to tickle and amuse the 
audience without any definite ethical design whatso- 
ever. 

The Star: 
I think we have reformed that somewhat, sir. 

Hubert : 
Oh, reform it altogether; and Ion off this matter of 
"business" ; we have too much of that. A master- 
piece of art is written for vou bv the playwright, and 
with your "business," all his skilful work is lost, and 
the traeedy or comedv as the case may be, is reduced 
into merely a vaudeville affair, with no obvious moral 
whatever, unless it be immorality. Go you now to the 
lecture room; I will join you presently. 

The Players 
Very well, sir. {Exeunt the Players) 

Hubert : 
Horace, you are even as just a man, 
As I have ever met in this false world. 

Horace : 
Now do you but pamper my vanity. 

Hubert : 
Nay, do not think I flatter; for what 
Advantage may I hope from thee, that 
Hast no revenue, but thy good spirits. 
Why should the poor be flattered? No, 
Let the candy-loving tongue lick absurd 
Pomp ; and crook the subservient hinges 
Of the knee, when perquisites will follow 
Fawnino-. Horace, since my g-ood soul has 
Learned the art of choice, and can 'twixt 
Men distinguish, her election hath claimed 
Thee for her own : for thou art indeed 



THE THIRD TERM 



165 



A man who suffers much, yet suffers nothing; 
A man always thankful, whether fortune 
Buffets or rewards. And blessed are those 
Whose blood is so ruled by judgement, that 
They are not an instrument where misfortune's 
Finger always plays upon the keys : give 
Me a man, who is not the slave of passions, 
And I will wear him in my heart's core 
Too, as I do thee. But now to another 
Matter: this drama to-night before their 
Majesties ; one scene of it presents in 
Exact particulars the horrid manner of 
My father's murder : I pray you, when you 
See that incident in action, with your 
Perceptions roused to highest pitch, observe 
My stepfather: if his inflamed guilt do 
Not burst forth in furious exclamation. 
It is a scarecrow ghost that we have 
Seen, and my suspicions are as foul as 
A stagnant pool. 

Horace : 
If at any time he allow the dark workings 
Of his soul to be read upon his face, 
And I not see them, never trust me more. 

(Enter Hamilton, Rosecrans, and Gildersleeve) 
Hubert : 
How is it, most excellent sir, will the 
Dictator keep his promise and be present 
At the play? 

Hamilton : 
Yes, and the Queen, too ; and that presently. 

Hubert : 
Will you, sir, go and attend them to the 
Lecture Room? the audience are already 
Assembled. 

Hamilton : 
They only await my return with the word 
That they may enter ; I will go at once. 
{Exit Hamilton) 
Hubert : 
And you Gentlemen, I am sure will grace 
The occasion with your presence : remember 
The players are old chums of yours? 

Rosecrans and Gildersleeve: 
Oh, we shall see it you may depend. 

Hubert : 
Come, let us give a last look, to 
See that all is in readiness. 

{Exeunt: and curtain rises disclosing) 



Scene III. — A Miniature Theatre. 

A small orchestra is playing a waltz : it finishes and 
then executes a flourish : enter Weyler, Catharine, Hu- 
bert, Horace, Hamilton, Amelia, Rosecrans, and Gil- 
dersleeve. They take their places upon a raised plat- 
form near the footlights, while between them and the 
mimic stage are rows of seats filled with spectators. 

Weyler : 
'Tis said that most critics, are merely men 
Who never agree with anybody: however 



They may judge your play Hubert, its 
Success is already assured, for you 
Have what is dearest to the managerial 
Heart, a full house. The auditors, too, 
Seem eager and expectant, plainly showing 
That they anticipate a rare treat. 

Hubert : 
That is one of the delusions of your 
Playgoer: the fame of the author, and 
The beauty of the lines, have been well 
Advertised by Journal and flaming poster. 
So that even if the play does prove a 
Notable effort, anticipation is quite 
Likely to excel realization. 

Hamilton: 
Most dramas, are not without honor, 
Until you have seen them performed. 
You know I speak with authority, as 
I have done some acting. 

Hubert : 
I have heard that you played once in 
The University : what did you enact ? 

Hamilton : 
I enacted the fool, in "King Lear." 

Hubert : 
And you say it came natural for you 
To play the fool? 

Hamilton : 
What's that 1 

Weyler : 
There goes the warning bell ; they will 
Soon begin. 

Catharine : 
Come hither Hubert, sit with your father 
And myself. 

Hubert : 
No, dear Mother, here is somebody more 
Attractive. 

Hamilton {to Weyler) : 
Oh, ho, do you mark that ? 

Hubert: 
Lady, may I sit at your feet? {Takes footstool) 

Amelia : 
Why so low? 

Hubert: 
I desire to become your most humble 
And abject slave. 

Amelia : 
You are merry, sir. 

Hubert : 
What, I ? — not at all : but look you there, 
How merry my mother is, and she yet 
In mourning. The devil himself wears black, 
And 'tis a fact that much appetite and 
Desire lurks under widow-weeds. 

{Trumpet sounds: enter Prologue, upon the 
Mimic stage.) 

Prologue : 
Eternal Spirit of the unchainable Mind 1 
Brightest in dungeons. Liberty, thou art; 



i66 



THE THIRD TERM 



For there, thy habitation is the heart ; 
The heart whose love of thee alone, does bind: 
And when thy sons to fetters are consigned; 
To manacles and the damp vault's awful gloom ; 
Their country conquers through their martyrdom; 
And freedom's fame is voiced from every breeze: 
America ! thy vineyards are a most holy place ; 
And thy broad fields an altar : these were trod, 
Until their very steps have left a trace. 
Blood stains upon the soft emerald sod. 
By Patriots ! May none those marks efface ! 
For they are the penalty of ignorance of God. 

{Exit Prologue) 

Hubert : 
That was the prologue, I presume: a 
Taste of the good things to follow. 

Amelia : 
'Twas brief, my Lord. 

Hubert : 
As the first pure sweet love of a 
Young girl : soon will come her rude 
Awakening. But we shall have more, anon: 
These actors cannot keep a secret; they'll 
Tell all. 

(The curtain of the Mimic Theatre goes up, and the 
first scene of the Photo-play is seen: "The City of 
Venice.") 

(Enter a Speaker) 

Speaker : 
I stood in Venice, on the bridge of sighs, 
A palace and a prison, on each hand ; 
And saw from out the waves her structures rise. 
As by the stroke of an enchanter's wand: 
The palace where the wicked Doge had reigned, 
Who sought the grand Republic to destroy ; 
The prison where he was at last confined. 
Whilst all the people shouted, mad with joy: 
For glad were they with his restraint to see. 
The return of all their ancient liberty. 
(The Photo-Play nozv proceeds; and each scene is de- 
scribed by the Speaker) 

Speaker : 
The Inaugural ceremonies of a wicked Doge, in the 
Republic of Venice, in ancient times. He has just 
been elected ruler over the Republic, by incendiary and 
inflammatory appeals to the common people, that they 
are the victims of rank abuse and gross injustice. 
He has tempted them to covetousness by making ex- 
travagant and impossible promises of what he could 
do for them in exchange for their votes. * * * 
During his administration the expenses of the gov- 
ernment become enormous, and great poverty and 
distress prevail on account of his policy of devoting 
so much effort to the military, and so little to the in- 
dustrial : a crowd of citizens petition him for a re- 
duction of the taxes, and to stop the wanton outrages 
and extravagances of his retainers: the soldiers dis- 
perse the citizens by his orders * * * /^ ne^ 
Doge having been elected, the wicked Doge bargains 
with some hirelings to assassinate him at the coming 
inaugural ceremonies * * * 



Amelia : 
Those are horrid looking men: surely 
This Doge will repent ; he will not kill. 

Hubert (looking fiercely at the terrified Weyler) : 
Oh, this is nothing but miching mallecho : 
A friendly murder ! 

Speaker : 
The inauguration of the newly elected Doge: rid- 
ing in a carriage at the head of the procession, he is 
shot and instantly killed by the hired assassins. 

Weyler (hoarsely) : 
Give o'er the play. 

Hubert : 
Go on, — go on; the croaking raven doth 
Bellow for revenge! 

Speaker : 
After this terrible tragedy, gangs of ruffians in the 
pay of the wicked Doge, create a riot in the crowd, 
which he uses as a pretext to declare martial law, and 
proclaim himself as Dictator. 

Weyler (furiously; rising) : 
Damnation ! leave ofif this cursed nonsense ! 

Hubert (exultingly) : 
What, frightened with a smoke? what if 
There should be a fire. 

Weyler (pale and agitated) : 
Lights ! turn up the lights, I say ; away ! 

The whole house gets into an uproar, and Weyler 
can't move out: Hubert rushes down the aisle on to 
the Mimic Stage, tears down the Dictator's flags and 
flaunts the American flag, which he takes out of his 
bosom. 

(Curtain) 



Scene IV. — A Chapel in the White House. 
(Enter Weyler) 
Weyler : 
O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven ; 
It hath the curse of selfishness upon it ; 
A Nation's ruin! — Pray, I would dare not. 
Though will and inclination both were sharp: 
Besides, prayer hath fallen into disuse. 
In this ultra-scientific age, when the 
Creature knows more than the Creator. What are 
My crimes ? — first, political : the diversion 
Of a country from its God-given course, 
Back in the channels of old feudal tyranny : 
An offence sometimes condoned here below, 
But 'tis not so above ; there the guilt is 
Seen in its true nature. "Render unto Caesar, 
The things which are Caesar's": since that 
Command, Caesar's Empire is scattered to 
The winds, showing there is a deeper meaning 
Here ; that what a man possesses is not 
His, but only what he holds in harmony 
With the evolution of the general good. 
Second, the foul crime done to Peabody: that 
Fault is past; there's nothing left now. 
But to repent or gloat over it. But O, 
What form of prayer, can serve my turn? 
Forgive me my foul murder! that cannot 



THE THIRD TERM 



167 



Be since I am still possessed of the 
Fruits of the murder ; my crown, my queen, 
And my own insatiate ambition. May one 
Be pardoned who persists in the offence? 
But I must pray, for my agony is great 
And drives me to the most desperate remedy. 
Bow, stubborn knees, and heart whose strings 
Are steel, make soft and pliant as the 
New-born babe's ! All may yet be well. 

(Retires and kneels) 
(Enter Hubert) 
Hubert (sees Weyler, and draws his sword) : 
Now might I do it proper, now while he 
Is praying : and now I'll do 't ; — and thus 
He goes to heaven ; and so am I avenged. 
That should be scanned : a villain kills my 
Father; and for that I his sole son do 
Kill this villain, and thus become another 
Villain. Why that is not avenging, but 
Revengeful. "Forgive your enemies," has 
Brought more peace on earth, yea and more 
Wealth as well, than a thousand of the 
Subtlest laws of statesmen. I ought forgive 
Him, but God help me, I cannot. My motive 
And my cause of action against this man. 
Should be that he violates those higher laws 
By which an individual or a nation alone 
Grows great. My personal grievance must be 
Buried in the greater wrongs done to the 
People: I'll no longer seek a quarrel 
With him, but wage my war against his 
Policies. — Then to join the Republic's army ; 
And fighting in the ranks, in honor's way 
Do all I can to help my country and defeat 
His plans. (Exit Hubert) 

Weyler (arising from his knees, advances) : 
My words ascend, my desires still are low ; 
Only sincerest thoughts ever to heaven go. 

(Enter Hamilton) 

Hamilton : 
You said you wished to talk about Hubert : 
Was not that a strange prank ? What think 
You of him ? 

Weyler : 
He is as mad as the sea, when the winds 
Do lash it into a fury. This last offence. 
This play to-night, has put an end to 
Patience ; and late as it is, I have 
Directed his mother to summon him here, 
And with a severity which the case 
Deserves, to reprove, reproach and threaten 
Him too for this unnatural deviltry. 

Hamilton : 
You have made a happy hit upon the best 
That can be done with this headstrong youth. 
Will you be present at the interview? 

Weyler : 
Yes, present, but unseen ; for I do not 
Trust either of them : the ties of blood 
Are stronger than my marriage of convenience ; 



And for that reason I would hear what 
They may say, when altercation leads to 
Confidences. You and I will conceal ourselves 
Behind that curtain, and peeping out may 
Not only hear, but see. — Hush, here comes 
Catharine. 

(Enter Catharine) 
Catharine: 
My Lord, I have sent for Hubert, and 
He promised to be here straight. 

Weyler : 
Very well: now remember to be severe 
With him, for much do I expect from this 
Talk: lay home to him with vigorous 
Tongue his faults, and find out their cause: 
Tell him how you have screened him from 
Much punishment, which will surely follow 
Any more malicious mischief. 

Catharine: 
Never fear: I will chasten his conduct 
As only a mother can. 

Hubert (within) : 
Mother! Mother! 

Weyler : 

There he comes, quick we must withdraw. 

(As Catharine azvaits Hubert, Weyler and Hamilton 

make believe to exit, but hide behind the curtain) 

(Enter Hubert) 

Hubert : 
Now, Mother, what's the matter? 
Catharine: 
Hubert, you have your stepfather much 
Offended. 

Hubert : 
Mother, you have my father much offended. 

Catharine : 
Come, I am in no humor to bandy words. 

Hubert : 
No, no, not bandy words, but to use 
Right words for wicked deeds. 

Catharine : 
Disobedient boy, do you forget to 
Whom you're talking? 

Hubert : 
No, by the rood, not so : you are the 
Dictator's Queen ; and, — would it were 
Not so! — you are my mother. 

Catharine : 
Why, what can you say against him? 

Hubert (taking leather case from his pocket) : 
Look here upon this photograph, and then 
Upon that picture hanging there ; art's 
Attempt to imitate excelling nature: the 
Likeness of two Presidents. See what a 
Charm is graven on this brow ; Hyperion's 
Curls ; the front of Adonis' self : a 
Combination and a form indeed, where 
Every erace did seem to do its best 
To satisfy a woman's love of beauty: 



i68 



THE THIRD TERM 



And as for disposition noble and grand ; 
With lofty patriotism, sacred reverence 
For the Constitution, and holy horror 
Of the third term : — this was your husband. 
Look you there ; that is your husband : a 
Man whose evil nature is reflected in 
His face ; cruel cunning and ambitious. 
He fooled the people into a third term, 
And then betrayed them ; setting himself 
Up as a Dictator, in this Land of the 
Free. But O, most damnable assault upon 
Your peace, he procured and paid the 
Assassins who killed your husband. 

Catharine: 
Help, help me you heavens ! 

Hamilton (behind) : 
Murder! help, help! 

Hubert : 
A rat, in a trap ; let me prick him 
That if he escape he may be identified. 

(Makes a quick pass through with sword) 

[Hamilton comes out bleeding, and falls) 

(Weyler escapes without being seen) 

Catharine : 
Merciful goodness! what have you done? 

Hubert (bending over to examine wound) : 
You rash, intruding busybody, I never 
Thought you sneak: more scared I am sure 
Than hurt. (Rings bell) I'll see you well 
Bestowed. Of any malice I do repent, 
And believe your injury slight, but if 
It prove otherwise, let full penalty 
Be laid upon me for the wound. 

(Re-enter Weyler) 

Weyler : 
What hath chanced? is he sick? Stop 
Wringing your hands, Catharine, and speak. 

Catharine: 
Hubert and I were conversing, when a 
Noise behind the tapestry made it seem 
Someone was listening: Hubert thinking 



To punish the vulgar fault with a scare. 
Ran his sword through, and in his haste 
Gave too violent a thrust, when out comes 
Hamilton and sinks fainting to the floor. 

Weyler : 
This is the straw which breaks the camel's back ; 
We'll endure it no longer. One deviltry 
Follows close upon another's heels, therefore 
You shall away, out of the country, as 
Soon as it is day, and the papers are 
Prepared. (Enter two Servants) 
Remove him to his apartment with great 
Care: send for a surgeon, and see that 
He lacks not for anything. (Exit Servants 

with Hamilton, Catharine and Hubert follozv) 
That play tonight explains his actions. 
He is not mad, but verging on it by 
Brooding o'er his father's fate. He knows 
My part in it, and meant to torture me 
With a sight of this spectre of the past. 
By moving pictures. He is sternly bent 
On revenge, and the security of our health 
Will not endure hazard so dangerous ; so 
In the morning I'll prepare his decree 
Of banishment, and ship him away under 
Charge of Rosecrans and Gildersleeve to 
Guatemala; with secret orders to have 
Him put away by some of the assassins 
Who infest that country. He gone, I still 
Have left that awful triumvirate of 
Enemies ; the Courts, the Constitution, 
And the Cross : the first, the patching up 
Of quarrels and disputes by peaceful methods, 
And not by private feuds or national warfare; 
The second, the bulwark of freedom, and 
A guarantee of equal rights to every man ; 
The third, a Divine intervention in human 
Dealings : all foes of such base and selfish 
Passions as mine, and therefore do I 
Seek to poison the minds of the ignorant 
Against all three, by lies and wicked 
Sophistries. 

(Exit) 



ACT V 



Scene I. — The Capital of Guatemala. A Street. 

(Enter Hubert, Rosecrans Gildersleeve, and Soldier- 
Guard) 

Hubert : 
So now, Rosecrans and Gildersleeve, you 
Intend to leave me? 

Rosecrans : 
Yes, my Lord, we do so with much regret ; 
But so were our orders ; to bring you to 
The Capital of Guatemala, and having 
Introduced you to the King, to return 
To Washington. Thus is it set down in 
Our commission. (Holds out a document) 

Gildersleeve : 
Would that we could remain with you: 



But orders are orders, as you are aware, 
And cruelly sever the best of friends. 
Farewell, my Lord. (Shakes hands) 

Rosecrans : 
I like it better to say, Au revoir ; 
For I live in hopes that we shall soon 
Unite again. 

Hubert : 
Good bye, to you both : and when you see 
Your Boss, tell him you carried out his 
Considerate provisions for my care and 
Safety. (Exeunt Rosecrans, Gildersleeve, and Guard) 

Hubert : 
Here I am in this Capital of Guatemala, 
A vagabond and an outcast: banished from 
My native land, and forbid to return on 



THE THIRD TERM 



Pain of instant death. A stranger in a 
Strange land ; and left to the tender mercy 
Of some paid stiUetos, who are to stab 
Me upon the first appropriate occasion: 
I found it so set down in their grand 
Commission, which I in self protection 
Artfully spied into. 

{Drum and Fife is heard, and enter Troop of 
Soldiers) 

General : 
Antonio, go before and greet the King of 
Guatemala, and say that our army marching 
On asks permit to cross his territory, 
On the way to Honduras. If that his 
Liege, would know aught of our aims, I 
Will acquaint him in a personal interview. 

Antonio : 
I go, General, to obey your commands. 

(Exit Antonio) 
General: 
Let the army march slowly on. 

(The Troops pass by for some time in the rear of 
stage: the force looks large) 

Hubert (to General) : 
Good sir, whose powers are these? 

General : 
They are of Mexico, sir. 

Hubert : 
Where destined, sir, I pray you? 

General : 
Against some part of Honduras. 

Hubert : 
Honduras itself, or one of its pretty 
Provinces ? 

General : 
To speak the facts sans lies, we go 
To fight over a tiny patch of ground, 
Whose sole value lies in its high-sounding 
Name : to pay five gold-coin multiplied by 
Five, I would not buy and farm it ; nor 
Will it yield a better rate to Mexico, 
Should it be sold in simple fee. 

Hubert : 
Why, then Honduras will ne'er defend it. 

General: 
Yes, it is already garrisoned. 

Hubert : 
It takes two thousand lives and many 
Thousand dollars, to dispute over the 
Question of this straw. This is the sad 
Result of too much war, and too little 
Arbitration : for wars bring in their 
Train besides ignorance ; corruption and 
Graft; and the nation decays: like a bloated 
Man whose veins burst within, but give no 
Outward sign why he died. 

General : 
Now you speak a miehty truth ; which I 
As General know full well. But we must 



Take things as we find them ; time only 
Can bring changes. We need recruits; 
Would you like to join us? 

Hubert (aside) : 
To enlist with him seems a_ good way 
Of effecting my escape; as I can't get 
Across the border line without a passport. 
If you will take me for such a time 
As I care to serve, and can provide a 
Uniform, I will gladly go. 

General: 
We have uniforms, and you can leave us 
When you please to give notice : come to 
Me at the camp there, in half an hour. 

Hubert : 
I humbly thank you sir, I will be there. 
(Exit General) 
How this incident does upbraid me, and 
Quicken my dull revenge ! What is a man, 
If the chief aim and object of his thoughts, 
Be but to eat and sleep? a beast, no more. 
Why, He that made us after his own wisdom ; 
With all-seeing eye looking at present 
Past and future, gave us not this multiplicity 
Of talents, to bury in the ground. And yet 
I, that have such cause for action, do nothing; 
And to my shame I see these young soldiers, 
Whose spirits with divine ambition puffed. 
Laugh in the face of death, the invisible 
Event, exposing all that's mortal and not 
Sure, to the dread consequence of danger, 
Even for an egg-shell. Really to be great, 
Is not to strike without great provocation, 
But to take offence at the stirring of a 
Leaf, when honor is at stake. Can I stand 
An idle witness of my country's wrongs. 
While I see the imminent death of twenty 
Thousand men, who for a fantasy, a delusion 
Of fame, go to their graves as they go 
To bed ; fight for a patch of ground, which 
Is too small to afford a burial-place, 
A tomb for the slain? O, from this time forth 
Let me take courage from their noble worth! 
(Exit) 



Scene II. — Washington. Horace's Lodging. 
Horace : 

Hubert's letter says between eight and nine tonight: 
it is now after nine. I will read it again: 

"Dear Horace : No doubt you will be amazed to 
hear that I am in Washington. I have written to you 
about my enlistment with the Mexicans, and my sol- 
dier's life, and the friends I made amongst the troops. 
The war being soon over, we returned to Mexico, and 
I began carrying out a plot I had mapped out during 
my leisure hours : to return to Washington, make a 
captive of the Dictator, and turn him over to the Re- 
public's general, or failing in that to lock him up on 
some desert island. It sounds somehow like a mad- 
cap scheme, and I know not how it will end : but 'tis 
the Divinity, which shapes our ends, and therefore our 



170 



THE THIRD TERM 



indiscretions sometimes serve us well, when our wise 
plans do fail. Having sounded my soldier friends, and 
finding them eager to engage in the enterprise, we 
sought and found a ship which was bound for Wash- 
ington, and about thirty of us shipped as sailors, with 
the intention, once arrived, to get leave to go ashore, 
conceal ourselves at night in the White House 
grounds, kidnap the Dictator at the first chance, and 
make our escape across the river. Arrived at last, 
after a tedious sail, we cast anchor in the Potomac 
this morning, and eventually were allowed to go 
ashore until ten o'clock to-night : before that time the 
tyrant will be our prisoner, or we will be in durance 
vile, or worse: no harm is intended him: the attempt 
is to be made at 9 o'clock, and I wish that you would 
be in your cosy lodging (the room I like so well.) 
from eight to nine, as I may have something to tell 
you before setting out on my dangerous mission. 
"Yours, 

"Hubert." 
(Enter Landlady, who awaits until he stops reading) 

Landlady : 
Two sailors, outside to see you sir. 

Horace : 
Thank you ; let them come in. 

(Exit Landlady and enter Sailors) 
First Sailor: 
God bless you, sir. 

Horace : 
May he bless you, too. 

First Sailor: 
I hope he will do that same, if it 
Pleaseth him. Here is a letter for you 
From Master Hubert, if your name be 
Horace, as the lady says it is. 
Horace : 
Yes, that is my name. (Reads letter) 

"Dear Horace : I know of nothing further to say to 
you as my last letter told all : but a vivid premonition 
of coming evil, a presentment of some catastrophe, 
urges me to write again, like one who takes leave of 
a dear friend, perhaps for a long time. As these two 
bluff sailors depart with this note, we go to conceal 
ourselves in the White House grounds ; but it may 
be that all will be over ere you read this, as your sailor 
is a poor navigator of land. Good bye ! I pray God 
that this piece of work may end happily. Hubert." 
May the fates protect him in this wild 
And reckless adventure. Sit down, my friends ; 
Let me get you a little something to drink. 

Second Sailor: 
Get us a glass of water if you please. 

First Sailor : 
I never touch water, on land. 

Fresh water on the salty sea, 
But whiskey on the land, says me. 
(They drink) 
Second Sailor : 
There were five sailors in our family; if they all 
drank like you, the state had tottered. 



First Sailor: 
Truly, that is celestial stuff ; come, another. 
(They clink their filled glasses) 
Then let our glasses ring boys. 
Let our cut glasses ring ; 
For the very next squall (Sings) 
May bring our last call. 
To Davy Jones' locker, I ween. 
Second Sailor: 
That's a scurvy verse ; fit only to be sung at a 
funeral, let us go now ; we're overstepping our wel- 
come: good night sir. 

Horace : 
Not at all my friends ; I urge you to 
Remain : no, then good night to you both. 
(Exeunt Sailors: Horace prepares for bed, 

turns down lights) 
'Tis now the witches' hour, when churchyards 
Yawn, and graves deliver up their dead: 
So runs the legend, and not without reason ; 
For there's a sorcery in night, which brings 
To the bravest heart all kinds of nervous 
Dreads and terrors : — who's there ! 

(Enter Hubert, bleeding from a wound) 

Hubert : 
Quick, for God's sake, lock the door! they 
Are on my track like a lot of bloodhounds. 

Horace : 
Who's on your track ? 

Hubert : 
The soldiers ; but I think or rather hope 
That I have eluded them. 

Horace : 
Where are they? your wound, what is it? 
It must be attended to. 

Hubert : 
A heavy stroke on the head, but no 
Fracture : yes, bind it up. I had a 
Lead on them of a block, and before 
They could turn the corner to see me, 
Ran in here. 

Horace : 
Then your plot has failed? 

Hubert : 
Yes; merciful powers, what a failure: 
A few of my friends, the Mexicans were 
Shot down like so many dogs ; some were 
Captured, the most, thank heaven, escaped. 

Horace : 
Some one had blundered ? 

Hubert : 
No. everything was well done : from our 
Hiding places on the grounds, we waited, 
Saw the Dictator ccme in, and were just about 
To pounce upon him, when we were met with 
A volley from a party of soldiers in 
Ambush. Some rascal in our ranks must 
Have betrayed us. 

Horace : 
Now sit you easy a while, and tell me 
Of your journey. 



THE THIRD TERM 



171 



Hubert : 
When I was banished, you know I was 
Sent in the custody of Rosecrans and 
Gildersleeve by steamer. The first night 
Out, I lay more restless than the mutineers 
In the Philippines ; something drove me forth : 
Up from my cabin, my sea robe thrown 
Negligently about me, strode I to their 
Apartment; groping in the dark unheard 
I searched and found the paper, and made 
So bold, my fears forgetting manners, to 
O'erlook their grand commission ; where I 
Found, oh royal knavery! an express command. 
Adorned with most specious reasoning, 
Touching my family's comfort, and my own 
Poor health, to hire some renegades to 
Stab me, and thus make an end of my 
Hopeless case. (Loud knocking is heard) 
Hark ! listen to that ! there are the soldiers 
Sure enough. 

Horace : 
Quick, you must hide somewhere ; but there 
Isn't the sign of a hiding place here; — 

(Loud knocking at the room door) 
There, out of the window, down the fire 
Escape, quick ! (Hubert gets partly out of zvindow, 

and is confronted hv a soldier, while other soldiers 

break through the door) 

Captain (roughly) : 
So we have caught you at last: but I 
Guess you would have fooled us, had not 
Your own blood given evidence against 
You ; we found the spots upon the stones. 
Come, go along with us. 

Hubert : 
Your numbers and your authority make 
Resistance hopeless : your arrest is as 
Irrevocable, as that dread Sersreant Death's. 

(They move nut with Hubert, owd curtain) 



Scene III. Washington — Courtyard of a Military 

Prison ; with the front of the Prison seen at one 

side. Two Guards are patrolling. 
(Enter the Gaoler.) 
Gaoler : 

I have just received this paper; the court's judge- 
ment in the case of the young lad, Hubert: he is con- 
demned to be shot at 10 o'clock. Keep a sharp look- 
out ; this fellow is idolized here in Washington, and 
there are rumors of an attempted rescue. 
First Guard.- 

All right, sir. So the court-martial found him 
guilty ? 

Gaoler : 

Yes ; with a strong recommendation to mercy, on 
account of his youth: but with the mercy part, al- 
though I have shed a tear, I can do nothing else; for 
read these words countersigned upon the instrument: 
"Sentenced to be executed by shooting at 10 o'clock 
to-(}ay. Weyler." (The Guards resume their patrol) 



(Enter Horace.) 
Can I see young Hubert Peabody ? 
Gaoler.- 
No strangers are to be admitted between now and 
the execution. 

HORACE.- 

Execution! Is he already condemned? 

Gaoler.- 
He dies at 10 o' clock. 

Horace; 
Great God, this is awful ! Then, military 
Officers must have sat in judgment: this boy 
Should rightfully have had the benefit of 
Jury. 

Gaoler .- 
Of that I know nothing; those in authority found 
it a case for court-martial. 

Horace; 
There are certain sad rites, which are 
Ecstasy to the living, when done over 
The dead they loved: will you surrender 
To me my friend's remains? 

Gaoler; 
Better leave that to us ; let him be buried with pris- 
on usages. His crime makes his salvation doubt- 
ful, and forbids the balms bestowed upon repentant 
souls. 

Horace; 
I'll lay him in the earth, and from the 
Memories of his mournful end, may fragrant 
Odors spring. I tell thee churlish jailer, 
A heavenly harpist shall this Hubert be. 
When thou liest howling. — Do you consent? 

Gaoler; 
Well you may take it then ; that is if no one ap- 
pears with better claims. You had best keep out of 
sight for a while. (Horace hides). 

(Enter Pastor) 
Reverend Father: you come to see the prisoner? 
I will send him to you at once. 

Pastor; 
You are very kind, sir: I thank you. 

(Exit Gaoler, and after enter Hubert) 
My dear young man : I am glad to see 
You so cheerful : and you should be hopeful. 
For blessed are those, even in the darkest 
Hour, who put their trust in the Lord. 

Hubert : 
That is very true, sir, and it consoles 
Me greatly: besides, I may still be 
Released. 

Pastor : 
Have you then hopes still of pardon? 

Hubert : 
The dying have no other medicine, but 
Only hope: I have hope to live, and am 
Prepared to die. 

Pastor; 
Be absolute for death ; either death or 
Life shall then become the sweeter. Reason 



172 



THE THIRD TERM 



Thus with life: — if I do lose thee, I 
Do lose a thing that none but fools 
Would keep: a breath thou art, as delicate 
As any of the skyey ethers. The best 
Of us are merely death's fools; for him 
We seek by flight to shun, and yet still 
Run towards him. 

Hubert : 
I humbly thank you sir: to sue to live, 
I find I seek to die; and seeking death. 
Find life : let it come on. 

(Enter Weyler and Catharine) 

Catharine: 
My boy, my dearest son! {Clings to him) 

Hubert: 
Dear Mother! dear, dear. Mother! 

Catharine : 
My son, get ready, you shall leave this 
Dreadful place with me. {To Weyler) You 
Have the power, he is your son, I command 
You, I beseech you set him free! 

Weyler : 
I can do nothing. {Aside) I should have 
Said, I will not : although a word from 
Me would set him free, I will not speak 
It, for richly he deserves his fate. 

Catharine {pulling at her hair) : 
You can do nothing, you must do something, 
I tell you that he shall not die ! 

Hubert : 
I do beseech you Mother, be content. 

Catharine: 
If thou, that bid'st me be content, were 
Ugly ; full of unpleasing blots and blemishes ; 
Lame, foolish, humpbacked, swarthy ; I would 
Not sorrow, I then could be content, for 
Then I might not love thee : but thou art 
Young and fair, and I cannot bear to 
See thee die. 

Pastor : 
Bind up those tresses ; — O, what love I note 
In the fair multitude of those her hairs ! 
Where, but by chance, a silver drop has fallen : 
Even to that drop ten thousand wiry friends, 
Do glue themselves in sociable grief; 
Like true inseparable faithful loves, 
Sticking together in calamity. 

A commotion is heard outside, and a man who has 
been climbing over the wall, opens the gates in the 
rear, and a throng of the populace enter, armed with 
rude weapons. Their leader says : 

Leader : 
Where is the young lad, Hubert ? We have come to 
set him at liberty. ( The populace shout) 

Weyler {keeping before Hubert, to hide him) 
You dare-devil mob, know you in whose 
Presence you are ? 



Leader : 
We know you ; and would exchange epithets with 
you, had we time : come, let us seek hra in the prison. 

{They noisily start, and then stop) 

{Enter from the Prison, the Gaoler and some Guards) 

Gaoler : 
What means this burst of clamor? How dare you 
force an entrance to this place, and assail our ears with 
noisy throats and threatening demonstrations? 

Leader : 
We have come for young Hubert ; Hubert Peabody. 

Populace : 
There he is, there he is ; let's take him and go ! 
{They surround Hubert) 
Gaoler : 
Get out of here you riotous lawbreakers: charge 
them, guards! beat them off with your rifles! {The 
Guards force them back) 

Catharine: 
I would to heaven that these kind citizens 
Might prevail, for on their triumph, dear 
Hubert, hangs your freedom : but alas fortune 
Wills it otherwise, for look the soldiers 
Drive them out and close the gates. 

Weyler : 
Yes, that motley rabble, perdition damn 
Them, have been put to flight : the guards 
Having nothing more to fear, are leaving. 
And here comes the Gaoler. 

Gaoler : 
From the look of this rebellious crew, one might 
think the whole city had risen 'gainst authority. {The 
bell tolls) The bell tells us that the sad time has come: 
I am sorry, but you will have to leave at once. 

Weyler {embracing Hubert) : 
Good-bye, dear lad ; and remember that 
Your stepfather's eyes, now seeming dry. 
Hath many a tear in store for you. 

Hubert : 
"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive 
Them that trespass against us." 
If I have done aught against you, I plead 
For forgiveness ; if you have done aught 
Against me, I freely forgive you : may 
God forgive you for the wrongs done the 
Republic. And now, dear mother ; good-bye 
To you. {Embraces her) 

Catharine: 
I cannot go, have mercy! — Can you stand 
By and see a mother weep that she may 
Keep an only son, to love and fondle as 
A mother does ; yet you would snatch him 
From me and send him to a cruel death. 
My God, here come the soldiers whose leaden 
Bullets are hungry for his life! 

{She faints as she sees si.v soldiers come out of the 
prison and line up on one side of the stage; she is 



THE THIRD TERM 



173 



helped out by Weyler and the ' Gaoler; Gaoler re- 
enters. Horace comes forth from hiding-place 
and embraces Hubert) 

Horace : 
A last farewell, dear Hubert: must we 
Then part forever? 

Hubert : 
Why death is not such a frightful thing, 
And will come to all sometime: if it 
Come to me now, it is not yet to come; 
If it be not now, yet will it come ; 
The readiness is all. Farewell, dear comrade. 

Pastor : 
A moment of silent prayer. 

{The Pastor and Hvhert kneel; then arise; and the 
Pastor exits; and the Gaoler takes Hubert opposite 
to the six soldiers, and puts the black cap on his 
face; then the Gaoler goes and stands by the execu- 
tioners) 

Hubert : 

Heavenly Father ; receive my spirit. 

(The bell tolls three times, and at the third toll, the 
soldiers Hre, and Hubert falls; exeunt all but 
Horace; he clings to the body; clamor is heard out- 
side, and cries of "Open the gates" ; Horace opens 
the gates and the populace throng in; they gather 
around the body, and fill the air with lamentations 
and threats) 

Horace : 

Friends, — 

Populace : 

Silence all ! let us hear him. 

Horace: 
Friends, Americans, countrymen by adoption 
And native born ; eive me your attention. 
I come to bury Hubert, not to praise him: 
The evil that was in him dies with him. 
The isfood he did on earth will still survive. 
A sweeter and a lovelier gentleman, the 
Spacious world cannot it seems produce: 
Framed in the prodigality of nature ; young, 
Valiant, wise, and although only a nobleman 
By nature, still rieht royal ; and he it 
Seems was destined to die as a human 
Sacrifice upon the altar of the country's 
Liberty; to die, that the nation might live: 
And it is for you to see, my countrymen, 
That he has not died in vain. 

Populace : 
We all loved him, and we'll fight for him. 

Horace: 
All the world's a stage ; and the Great Stage 
Manager casts us in our parts. When the 
Play called "Life" is ended ; we return to 
The green-room, (mother earth), to be cast 
According to our fitness in another drama : 
"Immortality." A last farewell, to this dust, 
Which while alive, played so well the part 
Of Hubert, the young and ardent patriot. 



Populace: 
How we loved this young lad. 
Let's avenge his death ! 
Down with the Dictator! 

Leader : 
Away! run through the streets and stir up the peo- 
ple ; some this way, and some that ; go ! 
Away! away! (Exeunt) 



Scene IV. — Washington. The Capitol ; exterior and 
approaches. Some men and women are seen pass- 
ing up the steps. 

(Enter Madison and La Fontaine, two Senators) 

Madison : 
Who's there? 

La Fontaine: 
An American. 

Madison : 
La Fontaine, by your voice. 

La Fontaine: 
Madison, your ear is good. — What times 
Are these? 

Madison : 
Very pleasing times to honest men. 

La Fontaine: 
The tempest last nio-ht ; who ever knew the 
Heavens threaten so? 

Madison : 
Those that have known mankind so full 
Of faults. 

La Fontain-t^ : 
The thunder rolled until the soh'd earth, 
.Shook like a thin<? infirm. Oh, I have 
Seen tempests, when the scalding winds have 
Solit the ruggfed oaks, and I have seen 
The ocean rage and foam, from envy of 
The exalted clouds ; but never till last 
Night, never till then ; did I walk through 
A deluge of electric fire. One of two 
Things seem certain : either there is a 
Civil strife in heaven, or else the world 
Too boldly defiant of the living God, 
Incenses Him to send destruction. 

Madison : 
La Fontaine, surely you magnify the fury 
Of this storm : your speech is full of that 
Verbal splendor, that imagery, which your 
Fellow Senators, myself amongst the number. 
Have heard in your orations in the senate 
Chamber. 

La Fontaine: 
Are you not grown indignant, to see this 
Skepticism and materialism, eating into 
The virtues of our institutions? A new 
Country of boundless wealth ; and much of 
That wealth in the hands of immoral men. 
The result, vicious enterprises, monopohes. 
Trusts; bringing in their wake debauchery, 
Extravagance, and high prices for life 



174 



THE THIRD TERM 



Necessaries ; all of which keep the better 
Classes poor. The courts and judges too, 
(otherwise pure) have become in part infected; 
And now the disease has spread to the 
Government ; where vile attacks upon the 
Constitution, were followed by the third-term, 
And then a Dictator. The storm last night 
Was but an emblem of the agitation in 
Men's minds, for the whole city is now 
Alive with citizens, who made desperate 
By the base and sordid state of things 
Under present rule, demand the old government 
Back again. Smile at me if you will, but 
I believe our people's just and good demands, 
Are sponsored by these ominous warnings 
Of the elements. 

Madison : 
You may be right : for although these omens 
Have no tongue to use, they speak out plainly 
To those who are anxious to interpret them. 
Comes the Dictator, to the Capitol to-day? 

La Fontaine: 
He does ; for this day is to be passed 
The royal budget ; which provides money 
For the army, and the imperial retinue. 

(A great tumult is heard, approaching) 

Hark! what is that! let us stand back 
There out of sight. 

(Enter a crowd of citizens, in revolt against the 
government) 

First Citizen : 
Before we proceed any further, hear me speak. 

Populace : 
Speak, speak. 

First Citizen : 
We are all resolved to die, rather than submit longer 
to tyranny? 

Populace : 
Yes, yes ! give us back the republic ! 

First Citizen : 
He promised us that the people should rule. — When 
intelligence and religion rule the people, the people 
then rule indeed : then wise and equitable laws are 
passed, and honest and trusty men selected to adminis- 
ter them : all these things the Constitution fostered ; 
but now Weyler and his soldiers rule. 

Second Citizen : 
M'^hy our system of government, won the admiration 
of the wide world. 

Third Citizen : 
Give us churches and schoolhouses ; not soldiers and 
wars. Come, away ! 

Fourth Citizen: 
Yes, away : burn, kill, destroy ! 

Flag Bearer (waving flag) : 
Countrymen ; remember that we strive under the old 
flag; let us do nothing to disgrace it. 



First Citizen : 
Not for the world ; for the loftiest sentiments, are as 
sounding brass, when followed by bad deeds. Come, 
let us march through the city and arouse the people; 
then grown mighty in numbers, we'll to the White 
House, and capture the Dictator: let us finish that 
which young martyred Hubert, began. 

(Exit the crowd; Madison and La Fontaine come 
forth) 

La Fontaine: 
This uprising, is caused by the sad 
Ending of Hubert Peabody. He was beloved 
By the general multitude ; and his tragic 
Death hath wrought in them a frenzy. 

Madison : 
Marvel not that evil prospers for a while; 
Punishment though delayed, will surely come: 
So slight a thing will start a mighty fire, 
When Men's minds are full of righteous ire. 
Hark ! there is music coming this way : let 
Us into the senate chamber. (They go up steps) 

(Music continues; and enter a large force of infantry, 
which lines up on the stage; followed by an automo- 
bile, with Weyler and Hamilton, who alight) 

Weyler : 
Some idiotic sovereigns, trust in divine 
Right and in heredity, to guarantee their 
Titles ; but we depend upon our regiments 
Of infantry. 

Hamilton : 
Civil decrees, my Liege, even though 
Issued by the highest in authority, are 
Not half so persuasive, as the trusty 
Bayonet. 

Weyler : 
The debate in the Senate, on the Royal 
Budget, is now on ; and although we would 
Like much to sit as censor, to curb 
Rebellious tongues, and abash our seditious 
Foes ; we will not, for 'tis not in keeping 
With our dienity: but you Hamilton, you 
Shall go in, listen, and report to us 
At the royal chambers. (Enter a Soldier-messenger 

from the Capitol, and one from the streets at the 

same time) 

What is your news? you come so closely 
Together as to make your stories one: 
Your tale, quickly. 

First Messenger: 
My Liege, the Honorable Speaker, begs you to send 
more troops into the Senate hall, to intimidate and 
frown down all those traitors, who have sworn to 
speak against the pending measure. 

Second Messenger: 
Large bands of riotous and unruly citizens, are 
marching everywhere through the streets, with shouts 
and threats aimed at your majesty. 



THE THIRD TERM 



175 



Weyler : 
Hereafter, to hell allegiance ! solemn 
Vows to and covenants with, the devil! 
Sink conscience and mercy into the 
Prof oundest pit ! I defy damnation : 
To this extremity I go, that I give 
The whole country to rapine and sword: 
Let come what will, I must still be 
Thoroughly revenged for this insolent 
Revolt — General ; send a company of 
Soldiers into the Senate ; and the balance 
Into the streets to quell these odious 
Mobs : order out more troops, an entire 
Brigade if necessary. 

{The soldiers maneuver into two bodies: the largest 
one marches out; the other one marches up the steps 
into the Capitol: followed by Weyler and Hamilton) 

{Enter Catharine and Amelia) 

Catharine : 
Thank heaven, with the aid of our 
Automobile, we have outstripped that 
Mob of angry men, who like fell and 
Cruel hounds, pursue us ! 

Amelia: 
When they saw us leave the White House, 
They madly shouted : "To the Capitol ; 
The Tyrant has gone there"; and started 
On the run. 

Catharine: 
To save my husband's life, I must get 
This warning to him : a happy thought of 
Yours Amelia, to have me write it on 
The way : but ah, we have no messenger. 
Then I must take it in myself. 

Amelia : 
See, over there ; that is an official 
Messenger. {They go to Messenger) 

Catharine : 
Please sir, take in this letter to the 
Dictator; and tell him it is a matter 
Of life or death. 

Messenger : 
Your ladyship's most humble servant. 

{Exit Messenger) 

Catharine: 
Tears, nothing but tears : some poets call 
Them pearls : I wish they were, for then 
I'd give them to the poor ; and welcome 
These sorrows that bring them to my eyes. 

Amelia : 
Hark ! there is some great excitement in 
The Capitol. 

Catharine: 
Yes. noisy shouts and outcries — now applause. 
With loud voices and handclaps — now silence — 
And aeain pandemonium. Something awful 
Has haopened I am sure: oh. would that 
My husband were come ; until then my heart 
Is oppressed with fear. The saints be 



Praised, there he is ! ' 

{Enter Weyler, from out the Capitol) 

Weyler : 
Why did you send in that silly note ; 
Filled with sickly terror, and hysterical 
Details of immediate deadly assault 
Upon our dignities and person? Fear not 
For us : there's a sublimity in the aspect 
Of a throne, which with a mystic spell 
Doth sanctify the King ; and coward treason 
Dares not act the thing it meditates. 

Catharine: 
Do not, I implore you, laugh at this 
Danger, but fly while there is yet time. 

Amelia : 
My Lord, an angry and furious mob. 
Hungry for your life, sought you in the 
White House, and not finding you are 
Hurrying here. 

Weyler : 
My soldiers will attend to them. 

{Enter a Soldier-policeman) 

Policeman : 
Save yourself, my Liege ! the mighty Mississippi ; 
Auemented from the frowning clouds, till swollen 
With pride and arrogance it hurls itself 
Against the levees ; eats not the southern 
Cotton fields with more impetuous haste, 
Than youthful Horace, in a riotous mood. 
And backed by a multitude of men, o'erbears 
Your soldiers : the rabble call him liberator ; 
And as if the world had now but just 
Begun, antiquity forgot, modern realities 
Ignored ; with hats, caps thrown into the 
Air, and tongues applaudine to the very 
Skies ; they cry : "Down with the Dictator, 
And up with the Stars and Stripes." 

Weyler : 
Dosrs and slaves ! If bullets do not nauseate 
Their stomachs, we'll p-ive them a taste of 
Shot and shell. Remain here, while I go 
In the Capitol and order out our artillery. 

{He starts; Catharine and Amelia cling to him) 

Catharine: 
Do not enter there, but let us flee, 
For delay is full of danger! let me 
Upon my knees prevail in this ! 

Weyler : 
Leave go your woman's holds ; whose restraining 
Force, lies not in strength, but sex. 

{Enter Hamilton from out the Capitol) 

Hamilton: 
My Lieee, and Master ; insurrection runs 
Riot in the Capitol ! It began — 

Weyler : 
"It began." in that coward heart of yours ; 
See how those knees do knock together. 



176 



THE THIRD TERM 



Hamilton : 
Do not interrupt me, I entreat you. — 
It began in the galleries, which were 
Full to overflowing : when the opponents 
Of the royal budget spoke, they were greeted 
With tumultuous applause, which rang through 
The Senate chamber like a note of defiance: 
The rebel orators emboldened by their 
Success, went far beyond the patience of 
The Chairman, who ordered the soldiers 
To arrest them ; but the most of the troops, 
In servile obedience to exhortations from 
The galleries, mutinied ; and fencing in 
The traitors with their bayonets, left the 
Hall, where they were joined by the crowd 
Of spectators ; all shouting: "Let us form 
Into columns, and march through the streets." 

Weyler : 
Accursed be your tongue that tells me this ! 
For I have staked my soul against ambition, 
On the hazard of the dice ; and lost ! — 
The cast was not a fair one, neither, 
For the cubes were loaded, by the hand 
Of fate. 

Hamilton : 
Bear with me, my Royal Master, whilst I 
Recount even worse calamities. The army 
Of the Republic, arrived yesterday in 
Front of Washington ; and so many of your 
Soldiers have laid down their arms 
Or gone over to the enemy, that the 
Rebel army has now entered the City, 
And is marching here. (Shouting within) 

Catharine: 
Shouts again; a thunder of hoarse harmony: 
And the common impulse that makes these men 
Forget a thousand differences, and think 
For a time as one ; is hatred of yourself. 
Dear husband, escape, escape! 

Weyler : 
See, they are coming out the Capitol ; a 
Surging mass, as broad as the spacious steps. 
To be discreetly brave, 'tis well to fly ; 
Or else like valiant fool, to stay and die: 
I'll go at once ; this way is seeming clear ; 
My heart though stout, is still susceptible to fear. 
No, damnation ! here comes a howling mob : 
This is a deadly road to freedom. — No flight 
This way, then will I try the other: my 
Dauntless spirit is bent but not broken. 

(He goes to other side of stage) 

Blue uniforms! — Perdition take those eyes 

That show me this detestable sight! 

Blue uniforms; that means the Union army; 

The army of the Republic : and Washington 

Is taken. (Points his sword to his own breast: Catho 
rine and Amelia scream, and are carried away al- 
most unconscious, by some women) 

(Enter the Army of the Republic, with Drums and 
Colors) 



Union General: 
Bounteous fortune, is rich in favors : 
Here is the arch traitor himself. Surrender! 
You minion of the devil, surrender! 

Weyler : 
Stand back ! or I will sheath this naked blade, 
In this my bosom ! — One minute of respite. 
So, so, now you are docile, and your mad 
Cries, have sunk into the abyss of silence. 
But you feel sure of your prey: see, on 
The left this murderous mob ; on the right 
An army ; in the rear mine own apostate 
Soldiers : you have me caged, and I perforce 
Must suffer. 1 his imminent peril, makes me 
Reminiscent : behold this weapon : a sword 
Of Spain; the ice-brook's temper: with this 
Good arm and sword, I fought my way up a 
Hill in Mexico, which in honor of that 
Feat still bears my name; fought my way 
Through obstacles almost as formidable, as 
These impediments of yours. Cowards! now 
Falsify your records, and prove that you 
Are brave : shall I fight you all ; or is 
There in your midst one bold enough to 
Cope with me in single combat ? 

Horace (snatching sword from a citizen) : 
I am that man : — may heaven direct my stroke. 
Lay on, Weyler ! and study well each blow ; 
For you have a skilful fencer as a foe : 
My name is Horace ' 

Weyler : 
Impertinent stripling; I'll not notice 
Thee : I fight with men, not boys. 

Horace; 
Then yield thee, coward, and live to be 
The monstrous curiosity provoking prodigy 
Of the times : the first President who 
Committed treason against the Republic. 
(They iight and Weyler is disarmed) 

Union General; 
Let two soldiers take charge of him. 
(Tzvo soldiers advance to Weyler) 
He shall remain in custody, until he 
Can be turned over to the proper tribunal. 

Weyler : 
Speaking of tribunals ; there is one below : 
Ruled over by his satanic majesty, laying 
Aside all thin cloakings and disguises ; 
Him have I really always served : and 
Although his rewards for service rendered, 
Are viewed by many with extreme suspicion; 
I will take my chance, and before that 
August tribunal will now appear! 

(He snatches a pistol from a soldier and mortally 

zvounds himself: his adherents gather around 

him; they are small in numbers) 

General : 
O bloody act! 

Stand back, stand back, you men ; that the 
Surgeons, may minister unto him. 



THE THIRD TERM 



177 



Horace : 
A rash deed : and yet fully in keeping 
With the ferocity and remorseless energy 
Of the man. Now are gathered around him, 
The leading spirits of those who helped 
To place him where he was ; and shared 
In the spoils and glory of his tyranny: 
The fanatical and idolatrous of his faction. 

First Surgeon (arising) : 
General, nothing can be done for him; 
He is dying. 

General : 
It is sad ; but so be it. — 
Listen to the noisy demonstrations of 
His adherents : curses, sobs, threats, 
Lamentations, imprecations, and prayers, 
Closely mingled together. 

Second Surgeon (arising) : 
General, he is dead. 

Horace : 
Hear the laudatory elegies showered 
Upon the fallen Dictator. Their praise 
Rivals the adoration that the ancient 
Pagans bestowed upon their deities. 



General: 
"Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again, 
The eternal years of God are hers; 
But Error, wounded, writhes in pain. 
And dies among its worshippers." 

(Four soldiers advance and remove the body) 

Thus we ring down the curtain, on the 
Dark and sombre trap-edy of the "Third Term." 
Now will we cast aside these uniforms ; 
Which should be worn only in grave crises 
In our country's life ; and return to the 
Peaceful and harmonious emnlovments of 
The liberal arts : not warfare but irdustry. 
Our partly injured and deransred Union, 
Must be reconstructed : the soldier must 
Give way to the statesman. — 
Hark ! hark ! the bells are ringing out 
The srlad tidings of the redemption of 
The Republic, let us haste to bruit it ; 
And call all the truest and the noblest 
To the audience! (The hand plays the "Star Spangled 
Banner" as they march out) 

(Curtain) 



KING OF WALL STREET 



DRAMATIS PERSONAE. 



Theodore Midas, a rich Broker and Banker. 
John {?) Mammon, his partner, afterwards King 
of Wall Street. 

Sir Epicure Mammon, his Son. 
Richard Van Emburg, a clerk, in love with Mar- 
garet. 

Pertinax Surly, a gambler, a friend to Sir Epicure. 
Subtle, an Alchemist. 
Face, his assistant. 
Tribulation Wholesome, a Pastor. 
Ananias Sault, a Deacon. 
Percy Stuyvesant, a young millionaire. 
Dayton, a friend to Mammon. 
A Doctor. 



Secretary to Midas. 

Mephistopheles. 

Lady Mammon, wife to Mammon. 

Margaret Midas, daughter to Midas. 

Mrs. Dazzle. 

Lady Veneer. 

Miss Decaid. 

Miss Sentimental. 

Miss Vanity. 

J Witches. 

Financiers (brokers, bankers and railroad officials) : 
Guests: Servants: Messengers: Attaches and Patrons 
of Broker's large oMces. 



ACT I 



Scene I. — New York City. Wall Street, with Trin- 
ity Church seen in the distance. 

(Enter Mephistopheles) 
Mephistopheles: 

Ah ! Ha ! albeit the world thinks Mephistopheles 
Dead ; yet was my soul but fled to other 
Climes, where wickedness doth prevail in 
High degree: for where sin hath made a 
Vacuum in good, evil rushes in to fill 
The vacant space ; and thither doth myself 
And kindred spirits tend, to take full 
Advantage of such gains, to extend and 
Amplify the work, and tear down what little 
Good remains. But what brings me to New York? 
You ask : let me tell you that your Wall 
Street, doth actively compete for the 
Supremacy of evil in this world: here 
Do men hold religion, to be but a childish 
Toy, and claim there is no sin but innocence: 
Here, are degraded morals handed down. 
Which infect our courts and legislatures. 
These are my doctrines, and I reign supreme 
With all who hold them in their reverence. 
And therefore am I here. Many will talk 
Of title to a thing; what right have men 
To hold their property? — Might, first made 
Wealth, and laws were found most sure, when 
Like the Borgia's, they were full of fraud. 
Hence comes it that a strong-built citadel, 
Is safer than one which trusts to treaty ; 
And our Wall Street monopoly control of 
Railroad money, is far stronger than the 
Mere certificates of stock. But I come 
Not here to read a curtain lecture, but 
To present the tragedy of a man, who 
Became such a convenient and a willing 
Tool, as to sell his soul for money. 



I crave but this : that you receive the play. 
As an attempt to help you while the time 
Away: and not condemn it because it favors 
Me. (E.vit) 

Enter three Witches, (Scrub-women) with their pails 
and brooms. 

1 Witch: 

Where shall we three scrub again? 

In Bank or Broker's floor or window pane? 

2 Witch: 

When the market's day is done; 
When the profit's lost or won. 

3 Witch: 

That will be at the stroke of three. 

1 Witch: 

Where the place? 

2 Witch: 

In the Broker's private office. 

3 Witch: 

There to meet with the King of Wall Street. 

1 Witch: 

See ! the sun is shining through 
The fog: so are all foul things, 
Made fair: speculation, gambling; 
Why, it's in the very air. 

2 Witch (Listening) : 

Hecate calls : — yes Hecate ; anon, anon ; 
We'll come to you, when our wicked 
Work is done. (The Witches vanish) 

(Enter Midas, and his Clerks — Van Emburg and two 
others. Then enter an excited broker) 

Midas: 

What weary and excited man is that? 
He can report, as seemeth by his plight, 
Of the dread panic, the latest state. 



178 



KING OF WALL STREET 



179 



Van Emburg: 
This, is the true and hardy broker, who 
Valiantly fought against the Gold corner. 
Hail, brave friend ! give to this great man, 
Full knowledge of the fight, as thou didst 
leave it? 

Broker: 

All. day long, doubtful it stood; as two 
Strong wrestlers, who do cling together 
Equal in all the fine points of their art. 
The merciless Gould (worthy to be their 
Leader, for the multiplying tricks of 
The manipulator do swarm upon him), 
From the cliqued Banks and pools, with money 
Is supplied, to bid up the prices of gold ; 
And fortune on their wicked plots seemed 
Smiling, for gold jumps up by leaps and bounds. 
Their proud boasts that the Treasury at 
Washington was with them, seemed justified, 
For the sales of government gold suddenly 
Ceases. But all their black arts are too 
Weak, for brave Mammon (well he deserves 
That name), disdaining their vast amounts 
Of syndicated money, sells them huge 
Sums at every highest price, and soon 
The mad rise ceases, and decline sets in. 
Midas: 

Oh, my valiant partner ; but for him. 
Gold would have been cornered, and my 
Vast fortune lost! 

Broker: 
Although the sun, is the mariner's best 
Friend ; yet when it rises red at morn, 
It often brings shipwrecking storm and 
Direful thunders in its wake, so from that 
Source whence comfort ought to come, discomfort 
Swells, Mark, noble Midas, mark ; no sooner 
Justice had with valor armed, compelled 
These scheming men to use their heels, but 
Belden, and his crowd of bulls, surveying 
Vantage, with frantic cries and new supplies 
Of coin, began a fresh upward movement. 

Midas: 

Dismayed not this my partner and the rest? 

Broker: 

If I speak truth, I must report it did; 
As dogs fright lions, or birds scare easfles: 
They answered shout for shout and bid for 
Bid, until they had them on the run, and 
Knocked the price from one hundred fifty 
Five, to one forty. But I am faint — 
I must to Delmonico's for a glass of 
Champagne. 

Midas: 

So well thy weakness becomes thee as thy 
Deeds ; they both smack of honor. Go, help 
Him on his way. (Exit Broker, attended) 
Who comes here? 

Van Emburg: 
Like myself, this is one of your employees. 



Clerk: 
Why, haste, looks through his very eyes ; 
And his face denotes a mind brimful of fear. 
(Enter Employee) 
Employee: 

God save your honor! 

Midas: 

From whence comest thou, worthy man? 

Employee: 

From the Gold-board, dread sir ; where the 
Manipulators' banners flout the sky, 
And fan our people cold. James Fiske, 
Erie's proud lord, with a score of Brokers, 
Assisted by Corbin, your most disloyal 
Partner, began bidding one hundred and 
Sixty for gold in million dollar lots. 
And pandemonium and panic reigned 
Supreme ; till that your true and courageous 
Partner, Mammon, confronted them with 
Self comparisons : bid against bid, and 
Frantic yell against yell, curbing their 
Lavish spirit ; and to conclude, the victory 
Fell upon us. 

Midas: 

Great happiness! 

Employee: 

So that now, the members of the wicked 
Corner, crave composition, in that we 
Grant them merciful terms of settlement: 
But Mammon would not deign to grant them 
Any terms, save to take their dear-bought 
Gold oflF their hands at one hundred and 
Thirty-five. 

Midas: 

No more, Gould, Fiske, Belden, Smith and 
Corbin, those scheming men shall deceive 
Our bosom's interest ; their words are gammon. 
What they enjoy, henceforth we give to Mammon. 

Van Emburg: 
I'll see it done. 

Midas: 

What they have lost, noble Mammon has won. 

(Exeunt all, as Trinity clock strikes three; curtain) 

Scene II. — The same locality. Main office of Midas' 
great Banking and Brokerage House. 

(Enter three Witches [scrub-women] one at a time, 
close together, with their pails and brooms) 

1 Witch: 

Where hast thou been, sister? 

2 Witch: 
Scrubbing stairs. 

I Witch: 
Sister, where thou? 

3 Witch: 

A Banker's scrub, had apples in her lap; 
And ate, and ate, and ate: 
Give me? quoth I. Away, thou witch! 
The well-fed varmint cried. 



i8o 



KING OF WALL STREET 



Her husband, is janitor in a skyscraper, 

And speculates in stocks, on a margin: 

But I'll conjure the market, and wipe him out. 

1 Witch: 

I'll give thee a calamity. 
3 Witch: 

Thou art kind. 

2 Witch: 

And I, a short wheat crop. 

3 Witch: 

If you do, we'll make him hop. 

1 Witch: 

A little easy money made, 
In speculation, not in trade. 
Starts the bubble, in the brain, 
Then comes the thirst of gain; 
Avarice, fills the veins with fire. 
And the flames rise ever higher. 

Witches in Chorus: 
Bubble, bubble, railroad bubble ; 
Brings crime, and dealings double ; 
Blow it up larger, double the stakes, 
Until it gets so large it breaks. 

(The Witches, have taken their old clay pipes from 
their pockets, and blown up soap hubhles, and as 
they explode, they laugh in derision) 

2 Witch: 

First they start a little gamble. 
With the dice, upon the bar; 
Then there comes a mighty scramble. 
To where the Railroad monies are; 
Like a rat, they nibble at the cheese. 
The magnates spring the trap, just when they 

please. 
Witches in Chorus: 
Bubble, bubble, speculative bubble ; 
Brings poverty, and lots of trouble; 
Larger, larger, no matter the money it takes. 
Until it gets so large it breaks. 

(They blow soap bubbles again) 

3 Witch: 

Sleep, does neither night or day. 
Hang upon their tired eyelid. 
The only music is bid, bid, bid ; 
Their margins are soon swept away, 
The rich, have many bills to pay. 
And Wall Street is the easiest way. 

Witches in Chorus: 

Bubble, bubble, gambling bubble ; 
Its crop's not wheat, but only stubble; 
Blow it up as large as the world. 
And then to atoms you see it hurled. 
Ha, ha, ha, ha! 

(They blow up very large balloons painted to repre- 
sent the earth. They are large and strong, and 
are blown up with a mechanical device, until they 
burst, with a loud noise; the illusion that they are 
still soap bubbles, being carried out) 



Witches in Chorus (joining hands): 
Round about the pails we go. 
In the magic soda throw. 
Then put a quart of whiskey in. 
To make our charmed gruel thin ; 
Gamblers must drink as well as sup, 
To keep their waning courage up : 
Hark! who calls? my little spirit, see. 
Sits in the vapour cloud, and shows to me, 
A perfect picture of events to come. 

(They separate) 
(Enter Mammon and Van Emburg) 

Mammon: 

This is the foulest and the fairest day, 
I yet have seen. 

Van Emburg: 
How far is it past three? (looking at watch) 
What are these? dressed in the habits 
And with the tools of scrub-women, and 
Yet bearded, and so withered, that 'though 
On the Earth, they seem not of it. 
Are you human? you do not answer, but 
Only lay your chapped fingers upon 
Your skinny lips: half woman and half man, 
You must be a new species of centaur. 
Or some fantastic creature from Pluto's 
Dark domains? 

Mammon: 

If you can speak; tell us what you are? 

1 Witch: 

All hail Mammon! hail to thee, Midas, 
Partner ! 

2 Witch: 

All hail Mammon! hail to thee, Midas, 
Successor! 

3 Witch: 

All hail to thee Mammon! hail to the 
King of Wall Street ! 
Van Emburg: 
Good sir, why do you start ; what's to be 
Feared, from promises so fair? In the 
Name of truth, are you witches or women. 
Human or diabolical? you greet this 
Gentleman, with definite prediction 
Of noble having and of royal hope, 
That he seems lost in thought : to me 
You are silent : if some compact with the 
Powers of darkness, enables you to 
See into the future, speak then to me. 
Who neither beg your favors, nor fear 
Your hate. 

1 Witch: 
Hail ! 

2 Witch: 
Hail ! 

3 Witch: 
Hail! 

I Witch: 
Lesser than Mammon, and yet greater. 



KING OF WALL STREET 



i8i 



2 Witch: 

Not so rich as Mammon, yet much richer. , 

3 Witch: 

You shall lose a father's wealth, but gain 
His daughter's love: so all hail to Mammon, 
And his head clerk. 
Mammon: 

Stay, you prophetic speakers, tell me more: 
As Calvary's death, I know I am Midas' 
Partner ; but how his successor ? for he 
Still lives, a healthy gentleman ; and 
To be King of Wall Street, stands not 
Within the prospect of belief; for 
Vanderbilt's alive, and many other 
Multi-millionaires, who dispute that title 
With him. Say, whence get you this strange 
Intelligence? and why in this private 
Office, you dispute our further way, with 
Such presumptuous greeting? 

{PV itches vanish) 
Van Emburg: 

No nooks or corners to hide in, yet 

They are gone; whither have they vanished? 
Mammton: 

Though seemingly evil, yet were they 

Spirit ; and what seemed substantial, melted 

As smoke into the atmosphere. 
Van Emburg: 

Were they really here? or have we inhaled 

Some stupefying drug, which takes the 

Reason prisoner? 
Mammon: 

You should win a rich man's daughter's love. 
Van Emburg: 

You should be Midas' successor. 
Mammon: 

And King of Wall Street, too — went it ' 

Not so? 
Van Emburg: 

Those were the words, and set to the 

Self-same tune. Who's here? ah, your great 

Partner's private secretary. 

{Enter Private Secretary and another) 

Secretary: 

My master, the wealthy Midas, has 
Happily received Mammon, the news 
Of your success ; and when told of your 
Personal bravery in the great gold-corner 
Fight, his wonders and his praises did 
Contend, which should be thine, or His. 

{Looking up to heaven) 
Arising from his knees, he heard the story 
More in detail : how single-handed you 
Put the Clique's horde of brokers to flight. 
And stopped the mighty panic. 

Assistant Sec: 

We are sent by our royal master, to 
Thank you ; and also to herald his quick 
Arrival here. 



Secretary: 

And tor an earnest of your coming honor, 
He bade me hail you as his successor : 
In which addition, hail, most worthy 
Sir, for it is thine. 

Vaoi Emburg: 
Then, these devil-witches spoke truth? 

Mammon {aside to Van Emburg): 
Hush, no more of that to them. 
These costly garments you would invest me 
In, are borrowed, for my noble partner's 
Still alive; how can I then be his successor? 

Secretary: 

'Tis true that Midas lives; but henceforth 
Only to enjoy that wealth, to-day so 
Nearly lost. He, this day retires from 
Business, and by legal papers, subtly 
Drawn, makes you his successor, with a 
Capital of two million dollars, to be 
Loaned you upon such terms, as suit 
Your own good pleasure. 

Mammon {aside): 

Partner, and successor: — the greatest 

Is still to come. 

{aloud to Secretary) Thanks for your pains. 

{aside to Van Emburg) Do you not hope to win 

A daughter's love, when those that gave 

This honor to me, made you that promise. 

Van Emburg: 
Faith in the witches, and you ihay hope 
Yet to be King of Wall Street ; a truly 
Regal preferment. But evil agencies 
Most always lead us into harm ; the 
Instruments of darkness, tell us truths. 
Win us over with honest trifles ; then 
When involved in crimes, betray us. 
A word, gentlemen. {Goes to Secretary, leaving 
Mammon alone) 

Mammon {aside) : 
Two truths are told, as gorgeous prologues 
To the swelling act of the financial theme. 
{To the others) Did you speak? — no. 
{Aside) This supernatural aid, cannot but 
Come from evil ; and yet like all crime, it 
Keeps its first promises. This good fortune 
Should fill me with content. Why do I yield 
Then to a horrid suggestion, whose mere 
Image doth disarrange my hair, and make 
My beating heart knock against my ribs? 
No successes, can satisfy us to the 
Utmost of our longings ; and 'tis the 
Rankest folly, to attempt to soothe this 
Pain, with crime. 

Secretary {pointing to Mammon) : 
Look ! he seems almost in a trance. 

Mammon {aside) : 

If chance, will have me their King, why 
Chance, may crown me without my aid. 

Van Emburg: 

New honors come upon him, like garments 
First worn, which time only can make easy. 



l82 



KING OF WALL STREET 



Mammon (aside) : 

Let the future bring what it may ; 

The ills that hurt, are those which come to-day. 
Van Emburg: 

Worthy Mammon, we wait upon your leisure? 
Mammon: 

I pray your pardon ; my dull brain was 

Wrestling with fanciful problems. Kind 

Gentlemen ; your loves are registered 

In my heart, so as not to be soon forgot. 

Would that Midas were here, that I could 

Tell him of your zeal. 

(Enter Midas and Margaret) 

Ah! here you are and 

Your charming daughter, too. 

(Margaret shakes hands ivith Mammon, and then 
zmth Van Emburg, who in spite of her cordial man- 
ner, soon backs away: Midas, at the same time 
shakes zvith Mammon) 

Midas: 

O worthy partner! the sin of my ingratitude 
Sat so heavy on me, that I must needs 
Seek you here, and so dispatched my 
Messengers. Your deserts for this day's bold 
Work, are so great, that any recompense 
Must needs fall short: would that you had 
Less deserved, that full payment might be 
Made. 

Mammon: 

You are my benefactor, and my partner ; 
And your bounty has been great. Loyalty 
To you, and gratitude, makes it pleasure 
To render you service: 'tis your part to 
Command, and our duty to obey. 

Midas: 

Let it be so. I have begun to plant 
You, and will labor to make you full 
Of growing. Mammon, you know, and the rest 
Of you shall know, that I sold short 
For my own account, many millions of gold. 
The success of the gold-corner to-day, 
Would have compelled me to buy in that 
Gold at such high prices, that it meant 
Bankruptcy and ruin. Their utter rout at 
Your bold hands, broke the price and proved 
My salvation. To reward you fully for 
This devotion, is no easy task ; but as 
A token of favors yet to come, we have 
Decided to retire from business as Banker 
And Broker, this day, and make you our 
Successor. 

Mammon: 

Why, what I did, I would gladly do again, 
Just for the esteem I bear you. 

Midas: 

The Capital, now in the business. 
Consisting of cash and securities, 
Is something over two million dollars : 
This we allow you the free use of, 
As long as suits your pleasure. 



Mammon: 

Such liberality, is beyond thanks: 

May I ever prove worthy of it. 
Midas: 

My plenteous blessings, revel in fullness ; 

Seek to hide themselves in tears of joy. 

Friends I present and absent ; we would have 

All know, we make our only child, our 

(She goes to him) 
Beloved daughter, sole heiress of all 
Our wealth ; and shall at once unite her 
In holy wedlock, to some one of equal 
Birth and fortune 

Margaret: 

In my true heart I thank you, dearest 

Father; but am I to be bartered like 

Your stocks and bonds, the purchase price 

To be as much as my face value, or 

May a woman's love, pick from the glittering 

Mass, the real gold. (Looking at Van Emburg) 

Supposing that I 

Am not heart free now. 

Midas: 

We shall look to it, that you are not 
Ill-mated ; but choose one who is good 
And loveable. It would be death to us, 
To have you, the richest thing we own. 
Fall into unworthy hands: and besides 
It is intended to at once invest you 
With all property ; and not trust to wills. 
Those instruments, of which the most careful 
Drawn, are the most easily broken. 

Mammon (aside): 

To give his vast wealth to her ; with 

A lynx-eyed husband to guard it : 

This is an obstacle I must o'erleap, 

Even at the risk of life. Baleful eyes. 

Hide you fires ; show not my black and 

Deep desires : no scruples can stop me now : 

Two millions as a loan, a petty thing. 

To have the whole will make me Wall Street's 

King. 

Margaret (to her father): 

A simple glance, when bent upon those we 
Love, sees everything: in your face — lines, 
Deep lines — to me, but others may not 
See them. I prescribe rest a.rtd fresh air 
For some time to come. 

Midas: 

Very well, now that we are free, we'll 
Away to the country, for a season. 

Mammon : 

Then I insist, that you keep a promise 
Made my wife, long ago ; to spend some time 
With us at Irvington: the Hudson's balmy 
Air, will take the place of physic. 

Midas: 

That kind offer is gladly accepted ; 
And with your noble wife as hostess, the 
Rare treat in store for us may be imagined. 



KING OF WALL STREET 



183 



From here then, to Irvington; and make 
Us more your debtors. 
Mammon: 

I'll send no messenger, but myself make 

My wife glad with the news of your approach ; 

So humbly take my leave. {Exit Mammon) 

Midas: 

Now Margaret, go home and fill your trunks. 
To overflowing with silks and laces, for 
Transit. Van Emburg, will see you home, 
I am sure. 



Margaret: 

Yes, dear Father ; and you must follow soon. 
For we must start at once upon our journey. 

(Margaret and Van Emburg walk off together, the 
rest follow, Midas last) 

Midas: 

A truly regal pair : that man is my choice 
For her husband; an honest manly fellow; 
But only a clerk in my office, and she 
Must wed with one who has been highly bred. 
Curtain 



ACT II 



Scene I. — Irvington-on-Hudson. Mammon's resi- 
dence and grounds. A large stone house, resem- 
bling a castle, with front entrance leading on to 
stage; stage represents the rural scenery of front 
grounds ; the house is covered with vines, and these 
vines are covered with a thin wire screen, with 
birds in, looking as though the birds were wild and 
free. 

{Enter Lady Mammon, reading a letter) 

Lady Mammon: 

"There was a panic, to-day on the street ; so aw- 
ful, that the newspapers already call it black Fri- 
day. Midas, faced ruin, but I saved him ; and as 
a reward, he made me his successor, with a capi- 
tal of two millions. In the hour of success, I was 
accosted by three witches, who in the guise of scrub- 
women I found at our office. The most perfect re- 
port says that their knowledge is more than mor- 
tal. They saluted me as Midas' successor; and 
hailed me as the King of Wall Street, yet to be. 
When I burned in desire to learn more by question, 
they vanished as if into air: as I stood amazed at 
the wonder of it, came messengers from Midas, 
proclaiming me successor. This good news I 
hasten to impart to you, my dearest partner, that 
the greatness promised may be joyfully anticipated: 
keep it in your heart. ^ Until we meet, shortly, 
farewell." 

Partner, you were; and now successor; and 
Shall be what was promised : — yet do I 
Fear your nature: weak, vacillating; 
Swinging from good to evil, like the 
Weather-vane, a creature, of emotions. 
Prodigal with your purse, where the lying 
Beggar snarls for alms, and other stage 
Made-up charity ; yet where a gamble is. 
There will you plunge to the lips in 
Immorality, and perhaps crime ; winning 
Out, not by ability, but sheer desperation. 
Only my strong hands can guide you by 
The precipice ; yet I will lead you to 
The very brink, ipr these weaknesses must 
Be made the tools of my ambition. 
Ambition ! — with many of slow growth ; with 
Me, inherited from a father, who scorning 
Authority, not satisfied to be part, 
Burning to be all, committed forgeries. 
And died in prison. My husband, ignorant 



Of my origin, loves me in his reckless 
Way ; and through that love, aided by 
Wicked sophistries, I must stride to power 
And wealth, over if needs be, the dead 
Body of his partner, Midas ; for his 
Vast wealth will make me Queen of the 
Aristocracy of Wall Street. Oh, that my 
Husband were here, that I might infect 
Him with my spirit, and with the venom 
Of this tongue poison the scruples, which 
Prevent the ascent of the golden ladder. 
Seen by the witches in their vision. 

{Enter an Attendant) 

What is your business? 

Attendant: 

Lady, the great Midas, comes here to-day. 

Lady Mammon: 
How know you this? from whatever source 
The report is false; for were it so, your 
Master who is with him, would have given 
Us time for preparation. 

Attendant: 

Pardon me, it is true : — the master brings 
The tidings, and is almost here : his 
Speedy valet, arrived first, so out 
Of breath, that we barely heard his message. 

Lady Mammon: 

Why this is a great surprise! as strange 
As it is welcome. You may go. 

{Exit Attendant) 
That bird of ill-omen, the raven, croaks 
The fatal entrance of Midas under this roof. 
Come, you influences unseen, that ever 
Stand ready to lead us deeper in 
Crime ; unsex me here, and make me a 
Resolute man : add new fuel to the flames 
Of my quenchless ambition, which recks not 
Of means ; and when I grow stale in invention, 
Or lack opportunity, with your devilish 
Ingenuity point me the way again. 

{Enter Mammon) 
Beloved husband! Great financier! to be 
Yet greater, by the all-hail hereafter! 
Your letter, has transformed me, and I 
Now live in future glories, in spite of 
This groveling present. 



i84 



KING OF WALL STREET 



Mammon: 
Dearest wife. — 
Midas, comes here to-day. 

Lady Mammon: 

So have I heard and was greatly amazed: 
And when departs? 

Mammon: 

I know not; I think he is here for 
A long stay. 

Lady Mammon: 

So long ! that it may have no end ! 
His friends may seek for him, and if 
Found, lacking the vitalizing spark, 
He'll be but dust. I see you apprehend 
Me, for your thoughts can be read in 
Your face, like a book : such frankness in 
Villainy, will breed suspicion : to beguile 
The time of his stay, let your black heart, 
Be masked by a smiling face. 

Mam-mon: 

Henceforth, to dissimulate, shall become 
In me a second nature. 

Lady Mammon: 

Now, that we have him here at last ; 
He must not away 'till we have shorn 
Him of his wealth. 

Mammon (voicing crime): 
What do you intend doing? 

Lady Mammon: 

That which the devil, a false heart, and 
Time must disclose. You remember the 
Curious brass bound box, which he always 
Carries with him : I think that box contains 
His vast wealth ; probably stocks and bonds : 
May the fates grant that he brings it 
"With him. 

(Enter Servant) 

Servant: 

Madam ; Midas' luggage has arrived, and 
He is soon to follow. 

Lady Mammon: 

Very well, put it in the guests' room. 

(Servants carry in the brass-bound box, and take it in 
the house, and more trunks follow) 

Lady Mammon: 

See! see! the very box, we spoke of. 

Mammon: 

The very same! and comes at the critical 
Time : so does the conjuror by sleight 
Of hand, awake our startled senses. 

Lady Mammon: 

I must go in, for he that's coming 
Must eat and -sleep, and these things do 
Not come by magic, but need direction. 

(Exeunt Lady Mammon and Mammon) 
(Enter two Servants from the house) 
First Servant: 

If that box was filled with solid gold, it could not 
be heavier. 



Second Servant: 

Laces and satins, wrought in airy patterns, 
if packed compactly, are as heavy as the precious 
metals, and as costly. 

First Servant: 

Well I hope the box, will not make its owner's 
heart ache, like these arms now pain me; I will 
have to use alcohol. 

Second Servant: 

How, internal or external? 

(They both laugh, and Exit) 
(Enter Midas, Margaret and Van Emburg) 

Midas (looking around): 

What have we here? this is a pleasant 
Sight, a veritable castle, in this 
Modern land, and fixed at such an altitude, 
That it commands an unobstructed view 
Of the blue Hudson. 

Margaret: 

See, Father, the ivy-haunting purple 
Martin, the summer bird: by their presence 
They vouch that the heaven's breath smells 
Wooingly here : no cornice, window-sill. 
Or other place of vantage, but are seen 
Pendant beds, or swinging cradles. 
Where they gather, it is a sure sign that 
The air is most delicate. 

Van Emburg: 
To find a suitable place, had you made 
Diligent search, where health could be 
Woo'd to lend an attentive ear, this 
Place had stood approved. 

(Enter from house, Lady Mammon and Mammon) 

Midas: 

And see, here are the chief birds of 
This aerie, our honored hostess and 
Her mate : that love stands out boldly. 
Which keeps step with trouble ; and herein 
Do we find you both, more liberal in 
Actions, than profuse in compliments. 

Lady Mammon: 

To serve you is our delight ; and such 
Service if doubled many times, can ill 
Requite your benefits deep and broad, 
Showered upon our house. And Margaret, 
Too ! welcome to Irvington : your coming 
Into this gloomy house, will be like a 
Ray of sunshine. We will make your visit 
Here long to be remembered ; and to that 
End, strip from ourself these matron shrouds. 
And perambulate in colors. 

(Goes off a little to one side with Margaret) 

Margaret: 

I don't know how to thank you. This place 

Will do Father so much good ; and as for 

Me, the visit will be delightful I 

Am sure. 
Mammon (to Midas): 

All things that belong to us, are held 



KING OF WALL STREET 



I8S 



As it were in trust for you and your 
Good pleasure. 

Midas: 

Thanks. Lady, yours is a worthy husband: 
We coursed him at the heels, and in sport 
Sought to precede him here ; but he rides 
Well; and his great love for you, sharp 
As a spur, brought him here first. 

Mammon: 

Come, let us go inside, where we can 
With the aid of household comforts, mete 
Out to you more fitting hospitality. 

Midas: 

We know that where you mete, we shall 
Receive a bounteous measure: conduct us 
To your castle; we love you dearly, and 
Will continue to be gracious. 
Hostess; shall we lead the way? (offers arm) 
{Exeunt all into the house') 

{Enter Sir Epicure Mammon and Surly) 

Sir Epicure: 

Come on sir: now you set your foot 
On shore in Novo Orbe ; here's the rich 
Peru; and there within sir, are the 
Golden mines, great Solomon's Ophir! 
He was sailing to it three years, but we 
Have reached it in as many hours. 

Surly: 

I am not deficient in fancy: I have 
Held three kings, and was fool enough to 
Think I had the jack-pot at my mercy: 
But to transmute yonder mass of stone, 
Into Solomon's mines, filled with the 
Precious metals, is too much for even 
My credulity ; I am too sober for that. 

Sir Epicure: 

You are too stolid, you lack imagination : 
You take me too literally : but in that 
House is a treasure, whom I expect to 
Wed ; who is worth her weight in gold. 

Surly: 

I am almost facing prison for debt ; and 
That kind of money, is not a legal tender. 
However tender it may be in other respects. 

Sir Epicure: 

The dear creature's father, is as rich 
As Solomon was, before he squandered 
His patrimony on his thousand wives; 
And therefore this is the day wherein 
To all my friends, I will pronounce the 
Happy words. Be Rich; be multi-millionaires ! 
You shall no more deal with the loaded 
Dice, or the marked card, or sit for 
Hours with your eyes glued to the broker's 
Blackboard, seeking from the shells to pick 
Out the pea, which all the time is up the 
Manipulator's sleeve. No more shall thirst 
Of Satin, or the covetous hunger of 
Velvet entrails for your seedy cloak, 
To be displayed at the Waldorf ; at Rector's ; 



Or Sherry's : where the sons of hazard 
Fall before the golden calf, and on their 
Knees whole nights commit idolatry with 
Wine and trumpets: and unto thee my 
Surly, I speak it first, be rich ; be a 
Viceroy of the great white way ; and 
Living apart from it in secluded splendour. 
Visit it only when night has thrown its 
Electric mantle o'er the scene.* 

Surly: 

And all this I am to get from a 
Dissipated spendthrift, who lives only 
For wine, women, and good eating; who 
Spends money so recklessly that his rich 
Father now has him on a quarterly 
Allowance of beggarly dimensions. 

Sir Epicure: 

Why my dear fellow, you are quite a 
Portrait painter : go on and finish the 
Picture which you have begun ; put a touch 
Here, and a daub there, and no one will 
Fail to recognize the likeness of your 
Humble servant. Let us sit down here, for 
The house must be stifling, and I need 
Air, and — another drink. Come, go on. 

Surly: 

Our multi-millionaires, and rich nabobs 
In general, have college-bred sons ; college- 
Bred either in whole or part, as some 
Get expelled, who ape all kind of sports, 
Athletic, aeronautic, aquatic, and lu-nat-ic. 
And in other ways make themselves generally 
Useless. They mingle in high society. 
And are received fondly by designing 
Mothers, and marriageable daughters, who 
Look beyond their worthlessness into 
Their father's plethoric pocket-books. 

Sir Epicure: 

You crusty old bachelor: and yet to 
Be truthful you must be severe. 

Sitrly: 

Your sprees and orgies, with dissolute and 
Decayed women, whom you are ever feasting. 
At the most select places, after the 
Manner of the rich aristocracy. 

Sir Epicure: 

But, Surly, some of these still retain 
Much youth and beauty, in spite of late 
Hours, and many have virtue and pride, 
Even if they are distressingly poor. 

Surly: 

I grant all that ; but they lack means ; 
That is their unpardonable sin ; and your 
Excesses in any kind of company, are 
So great as to be the town talk ; so 
You are tabooed by your own class, the 



•NOTE. — We have now become so used to the electrical splendor of the 
White Way, and to the famous Waldorf. Sherry's and Kector's. that they seem 
to have been always with us. so that the allusion to them by Sir Epicure, when 
thoy were not yet In existence, may be forRiven t^e author. It is not much of 
an anachronism anyhow, as at the period in which' the drama is laid this section 
was adorned with equally famous restaurants, and the streets were brilliantly 
lighted. 



i86 



KING OF WALL STREET 



Rich; and left to the tender mercies of 
The impecunious and gaudy creatures, 
Who swarm around you, attracted by the 
Smell of your wine suppers. All this has 
Come to your father's ears, and your pin 
Money is now doled out to you with 
A stingy hand, and it would go hard with 
You, were it not for the money lenders : 
And you, you are the man who is going 
To make me rich. 

Sir Epicure: 

But, you forget the lady : — and here she 
Comes ! sweet vestal, keeping afire the 
Light of purity, even in this degenerate 
Age. 

(Enter Margaret and Van Emburg) 

Margaret: 

Sir Epicure Mammon ! 

Your father just told me you were 

Expected: how do you do? 

Sir Epicure: 

Delighted, that you are here, I am sure. 
This is my friend, Mr. Surly. 

Margaret: 

Very happy to meet you, Mr. Surly. 
Now you must go right in, for your 
Father is anxious about you. 

Sir Epicure: 

Why, Van Emburg, you here too? that is 
Awfully jolly. 

Fan Emburg: 
Yes: — Midas insisted that I should come 
With them, and remain over Sunday. 

(Exeunt Margaret, Sir Epicure and Surly) 
Sir Epicure, is handsome, has a wealthy 
Father, and in fact everything that a 
Woman desires ; except character ; and 
It is considered a bore nowadays to 
Have too much of that. She thinks not 
Of me ! Alas, that love, that ever is 
Born blind, should not by this affliction 
Grow more kind. (Exit) 



Scene II. — The same. Interior of the Castle. 
Room. 

(Enter Mammon) 

Mammon: 

As it cannot be undone when 'tis done. 
Then 'tis well it is not done quickly. 
If the gains of crime can swallow up the 
Losses, and leave a balance to our credit, 
Here ; it cannot be so above : up there. 
Virtue and vice are 'judicated with an 
Even-handed justice : and besides, ofttimes, 
Retribution comes here ; that we but send 
Forth our wicked inventions, only to have 
Them return to our own undoing. He's here 
In double trust: first, that I am his 
Partner and his pensioner, strong both 
Against the crime; then as his host, I 



Should guard his person with my life, not 
Be myself the one to strike him down. 
Now, that wealth comes as a gift ; riches 
Beyond my wildest dreams, why am I not 
Content; because the Street's mad avarice 
And pride, and gambling done under the 
Name of speculation, have killed my 
Conscience ; guilty man ; for conscience 
Is the compass, which brings us into port ; 
And where is the mariner, who tempted 
By the beauty of the sea, will leave the 
Beaten track and sail where lovely mermaids, 
Point the way into the treacherous breakers ? 

(Enter Lady Mammon) How now! what news? 

Lady Mammon: 

Dinner is almost over: why did you leave 
The room? 

Mammon: 

Has he remarked my absence? 

Lady Mammon: 

Why ask that? you know that he has. 

Mammon: 

Let us think no more of this duplicity : 
He has flooded me with kindnesses; I 
Have no heart to work his harm: we can 
Revel in the fortune that we have: to 
Give way to the thirst for more, is never 
To be satisfied. 

Lady Mammon: 

What devil, led you to break this business 
To me? The daily burden of your talk 
Hath been: "Oh that we had opportunity." 
The chance has come, and now you are 
Afraid. From this time forth, so I esteem 
Your love: words, vain words, spoken but 
Not remembered. Are you so much a coward, 
That you expect others to assail those 
Who stand in your way? Would you were 
More a man. 

Mammon: 

I am a man ; that's what unnerves me ; 
Made in His image, though the work hath 
Been wantonly defaced. Let's say we do it ; 
Even then, we may earn the wage of sin, 
A And not receive our salary ; our 

Project may fail. 

Lady Mammon: 

How can it fail, when we have the contents 
Of the box, and he alone who could speak 
Of them, is speechless? 

Mammon: 

And after that, what? pure speculation; 
We have no solid ground to walk upon. 
Having the stocks and bonds, we'll have no 
Way to use them ; no doubt they are all 
Numbered ; and he keeps a list of those 
Numbers. 

Lady Mammon: 

All great enterprises, are a tangled skein 

Of doubt ; only to be unravelled by 

The patient hand Do the work as it comes 



KING OF WALL STREET 



187 



To hand, and leave the rest to my woman's 
Wit. 

Mammon: 

Besides, the power to sign his name — hush ! 

(Midas, suddenly appears at the door) 
Oh, sir, you are in need of something? 

Midas: 

The brass bound box, it is not in the 
Room; please have it taken there: it contains 
Articles of great value ; which if lost 
Could never be identified. 

Lady Mammon (striking bell): 

A slip of the servant ; for which we 
Ask your pardon. (Enter servant) 
John : conduct him to his chamber : a 
Trunk has gone astray; see to it. 
Good-night, again! 

(Exeunt Midas and Servant) 

Are not his words : "Could never be identified.' 
Pregnant with healing qualities, which 
Fall upon your trembling heart and make 
It strong again : could never be identified, 
Means, to have them is to own them. 

Mammon: 

Our evil fortune tempts us blindly on. 
Only to balk us in the end: we risk 
Our lives, to get the stocks, and then 
Can't sell them. To barter in the things 
Which bear his name ; we must have an 
Attorney's power to sign his name ; and 
We have no such authority. And if we 
Had, it would become invalid at his death. 

Lady Mammon: 

Here's a hitch, at which weak natures quail ; 
And fill the world with failures : I myself. 
Am almost foiled: let me think — this two 
Million loan to you ; the most of this 
Now stands in his name? 

Mammon: 
Yes, the larger part. 

Lady Mammon: 

Then, how can you use or dispose of that 
Property ? 

Mammon: 

Oh, all that is provided for in this 
Paper, skillfullv drawn by a high 
Authority, on the law of partnership. 

Lady Mammon: 

Let me see it? (looks it over) 

Ah! what is this! (reading) "And the said 

Mammon, being now the sole owner of this 

Partnership property, is duly empowered 

To sign the name of the said Midas, where 

It may appear on the securities, or 

Elsewhere." 

Mammon: 

Bring forth male children, only ! for thy 
Heroic mettle should generate nothing 
But men : this clause which you have so 



Deftly brought to light, removes the last 
Link which binds us to integrity ; for to 
Sign, and then sell the stocks through my 
Business channels will be easy. 
Lady Mammon: 

Exactly: — now you show symptoms of being 
Fully awake once more. You must enter 
His chamber by the secret door ; the old 
Door which long unused, was ingeniously 
Blended with the wainscoting. 



And close that door, behind me ; then when 
All is over, make my escape through the 
Open window, leaving footmarks on the sill: 
Will it not be received as the work 
Of a burglar? 

Lady Mammon: 
Who would ever dream of it as other? 
As we shall our griefs enlarge with 
Plenteous tears. 

Mammon: 

Then let me spend in distraction, the 
Interim between now and the horrid deed. 
Give me wine, music, dancing, anything: 
Away, and mock the hours with empty show ; 
Lest the face reveal, what the false heart 
Doth know. (Exeunt) 



Scene III. — The same. Court within the Castle; 

dimly lighted. 
(Enter Van Emburg, and a Servant with lighted 



Van Emburg: 

What's the time of night? 
Servant: 

The moon's gone down ; I cannot see the 

Town clock. 
Van Emburg: 

It must be nearly twelve? 
Servant: 

Somewhat after that, I think, sir. 

Van Emburg (gives his hat and cane; servant 
starts out): Hold: — take my outer-coat. 
Notwithstanding the general extravagance. 
Amongst men, there's economy, in heaven; 
Their lamps are turned down low : yet you 
May take the light, too. (Servant had set 
lamp on table, to help off with coat; he 
takes the lamp up and exits) 
A drowsy summons lies like lead upon 
Me, and yet can I sleep, for my brain 
Is full of hideous fancies: merciful 
Powers, restrain in me the cursed thoughts, 
Which nature gives way to in solitude! — 
Who's there? I am without a weapon. 
(Looks around for some weapon) 
(Enter Mammon and a Servant) 



Be not afraid, 'tis I. 



KING OF WALL STREET 



Van Emburg: 
What sir, not yet abed? I just left 
Midas ; shamed away I was by the unseemly 
Hour : he has been in fine spirits, and 
Laid aside some gifts for your servants, 
And a large and costly diamond for your 
Wife: which perhaps I break faith in 
Giving fore-knowledge of. 

Mammon: 

His coming to us, was so sudden, that 
Our will to entertain him royally 
Is hampered by conditions. 

Van Emburg: 
All goes right merrily! My dreams last 
Night had in them something of the uncanny 
Witches, who prophesied so truly as to 
Your accession to Midas' business. 

Mammon: 

I sometimes think of them ; and when we 
Can borrow an hour of your time, let's 
Employ it upon that subject. 

Van Emburg: 
I am always at your service. 

MamTHon: 

If my projects shall meet your favoring 
Voice, it will make honor for you and 
liberal pay besides. 

Van Emburg: 

I seek not to augment my fortunes, where 
I may lose honor ; but would keep my 
Enfranchised bosom and clear allegiance 
To those I love. 

Mammon: 

Good night, and sweet repose! 

Van Emburg: 
You are very kind, sir ; good night. 

{Exit Van Emburg) 

Mammon (to Servant) : 

Go tell your Mistress, when she would have 
Me come to her, to ring the bell. 
You need not return. (Exit Servant) 
Is this a real picture, which floats before 
My mind's eye ; with its glory, money. 

Power and joy? Come, let me clutch thee 

I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. 
Art thou not, glorious vision, capable 
Of being acquired as well as seen? 
Or art thou but a picture of the mind, 
A false creation, proceeding from the 
Avarice crazed brain? I see thee yet, 
A well formed palpable miniature of 
The attribute of a money-king ; and 
Thou beckon'st me towards thee through 
The commission of many a crime ; and 
As I advance, thou retir'st, keeping 
Ever just beyond my reach, leading me 
From one infamy to another, only 
To elude me in the end. I see thee still ; 
And now upon thy marble floors there 
Are the stains of blood! 'Tis no such thing; 



I look at nothing but the empty air, 
And what I seem to see, is but the 
Murderous plottings of a treacherous 
Heart, reflected in the face. 
Now, one-half the world is plunged in 
Sleep ; and plotting brains, and cruel 
Hearts, are silent as in death: only those 
Walk abroad, who having worn thread-bare 
The power to deceive, are tempted into 
Those baser pursuits done only in darkness. 
Murder ; I dare not ; for I am yet too 
Much a novice in crime, to take man's life: 
Rob, I would not ; for 'tis cause to grieve. 
When honest men can bring themselves to thieve. 
(Exit Mammon, and Curtain) 



Scene IV. — The Same. Guest Chamber, Midas' 
Room ; with Gothic Hall at side. 
(Discovered) 
Midas, sitting at a table, with a heap of precious 
stones and bags filled with gold and silver pieces 
before him. 

Midas (encircling the heap zvith his arms): 
So of thus much up to date has return 
Been made by the foreign money changers. 
To whom I sent the proceeds of my sales 
Of American stocks and bonds abroad, 
And ordered them to buy me precious stones. 
This truly is a fabulous sum ; no wonder 
Then my credit is as great as that of 
Monte Cristo ; and against that credit, 
I have issued notes, or else these my 
Beauteous toys, would bring me no return 
In interest, and to love and fondle 
Them, would be too great a luxury. 
God, grant that I can always pay those 
Notes, without the selling of a single 
Stone ; for it would break my heart to 
Part with any of my pets. As for those 
Pikers and margin men, who bought my 
Cats and dogs and mining stocks ; here have 
I purse'd their paltry silverlings. 

(Empties bag of silver pieces and counts) 
Fie, what a trouble 'tis to count this trash : 
Well fare the Arabians, who so richly pay 
The things they traffic for, with wedge of gold ; 
Whereof a man may easily in a day 
Count that which may maintain him all his life. 
The needy man, who never fingered coin. 
Would make a miracle of thus much gain ; 
But he whose steel-barred coffers are too full, 
And all his lifetime hath been tired. 
Wearying his finger ends with counting it, 
Would in his age be loth to labor so, 
And for a pound to sweat himself to death. 
(Pushes the silver azvay and returns to the heap of 
gems.) 
Give me the merchants of the Indian mines, 
The trade in metal of the purest mould; 
The wealthy Moor, that in the eastern rocks, 



KING OF WALL STREET 



Without control can pick his riches up, 

And in his house heap pearls like pebble-stones; 

Receive them free, and sell them by the weight; 

Bags of fiery opals, sapphires, amethysts. 

Jacinths, hard topaz, grass-green emeralds, 

Beauteous rubies, sparkling diamonds. 

And scarcest costly stones of so great price, 

That one of them indifferently rated. 

And of a carat of this quality, 

May serve in peril of calamity. 

To ransom great Kings from captivity. 

This is the ware wherein consists my wealth ; 

And thus methinks should men of judgment frame, 

Their means of traffic from the vulgar eyes. 

And as their wealth increaseth, so inclose 

Infinite riches, in a little room. 

While Midas is delivering this soliloquy, a panel 
of the wainscoting behind him, opens and a man 
wearing a black mask enters and closes the panel 
and hides behind a portiere. 

Midas (hearing a slight noise) : 
What's that? 

(As Midas turns around, he sees the intruder, iiho 
levels a pistol at him) 

Intruder: 

If you move or make the least noise, I 
Will shoot! 

Keeping the pistol pointed at Midas, he ap- 
proaches and seizes him, and a fierce scuffle en- 
sues ; he chokes him and holds chloroform to his 
nose until he drops apparently insensible. 

Intruder: 

When we start to commit crime, having then 
Forsaken natural laws, we don't know 
Just what to expect: that was a hard 
Struggle: he's alive yet, that's sure; 
Thank God! — What we thought were stocks 
And bonds, turns out to be a bushel of 
Precious stones and gold : now to put them 
Quickly back in the box, and make my 
Escape through the window. 

(Begins to gather up the gems and coin) 

(Enter Lady Mammon, in the hall) 

Lady Mammon: 

That which makes some drunk, makes others 
Bold: what hath quenched them, hath given 
Me fire : lucky thought, to give the servants 
Their full of liquor. Hark! what was that? 
It was the owl, croaking forth his fatal 
Prophecies. He is about it now : — it will 
Soon be over. . . . 
What awful noise is that? I must 
(She hears cries of "Help!" "Help!" "Help!") 
Away; to be seen here means sure detection. 
(Exit Lady Mammon) 

While Lady Mammon was delivering the above 
lines. Mammon was putting the gems back in the 
box ; both being in full view of the audience, but of 
course not being able to see each other: the one 
being in the hall, and the other in the bed-chamber. 



Midas comes to his senses, and arises stealthily, 
and when Mammon has the box about closed, falls 
upon Mammon with a shrill cry of "Help," "Help" 
(it is this cry which Lady Mammon heard). Midas 
has picked up the pistol from the floor and tries to 
use it, and in the scufifle which en.sues it goes off and 
Midas falls. 

Midas (pulling off the other's mask, as he falls) : 
Merciful powers ! Mammon! 

Mammon: 

My God! I have killed him! 
Those terrible cries will rouse the whole 
House: to escape I must act quickly; I 
May be too late now : there they are ! 
(Loud knocking is heard) 

(Exit Mammon with the box, through the window, 
leaving the pistol lying on the floor.) 

(Van Emhurg, who has entered the hall, and whose 
knocking was heard at the door, now effects an en- 
trance.) 

Van Emburg: 
Horror ! horror ! — heart dare not conceive 
Nor tongue name thee. (He goes quickly back into 
the hall, and meets Surly.) 

Surly: 

Whence came those cries of distress? 

Van Emburg: 
The midnight assasin, has made his 
Masterpiece ! a crimson background, and 
The still face of a white-haired and 
Pale-faced old man. 

Surly: 

Has he sustained mortal injury? 
And how? 

Van Emburg: 
Enter the chamber, gaze; — and turn to stone: 
jAs in the fable those did that looked 
Upon Medusa. 

(Surly goes quickly into the room, while Van Em- 
burg notices the hall bell, and rings it.) 

Van Emburg: 
The bell! — Ring out you brazen signaler, 
And carry in your tones, some intimation 
Of your dreadful summons. Awake ! you sleepers ; 
Mammon, Sir Epicure, come forth ! Lady 
Mammon, Margaret, keep on your night-robes 
Of snowy white, and walk forth like spirits, 
To sanctify this horror. 

(Enter two Servants, followed by Lady Mammon.) 

Lady Mammon: 

Have you lost your sense as well as courtesy? 
That you turn this decorous house into 
A noisy brothel? 

Van Emburg: 
O, gentle lady, look upon the sad sight 
In yonder room and let it plead my pardon. 
Enter Mammon) 

Mammon: 
Midas' room; what has happened there? 



igo 



KING OF WALL STREET 



{Lady Mammon has started to enter the room., and 
Mammon quickly follows her, and Van Emburg 
also enters.) 

Mammon (after viewing body) : 

Had I but died an hour before this chance^ 
Life would have seemed worth while ; but now 
Mortality is hateful ; honor and wealth 
But childish toys : the wine of life is 
Drawn, and the wondrous and fearful casket. 
Now contains but the mere dregs. 

(Enter Margaret, who stops at the door, and stands 
by the side of Van Emburg: then enter Sir 
Epicure.) 

Margaret: 

Oh, what terrible thing has happened? 



Father! he has become very ill? 

Van Emburg: 
You are greatly bereaved, and now must 
Know it ; the very source of your life, 
And chiefest center of your joys, is 
Stopped forever. 

Mammon: 

Your beloved father has been struck down 
As it seems by a robber's hand. 

Margaret (who has been advancing quickly, throws 
herself on her father's bosom): 
Father ! — Dearest Father 1 



Curtain. 



ACT III 



Scene I. — New York City. Reception Room in Mam- 
mon's Mansion. 
(Enter Van Emburg, ushered in by a Servant; Serv- 
ant then retires.) 
Van Emburg: 

Not yet quite one year from Midas' death; 

And thou hast it all now ; Wall Street's 

Mighty King ; as the witches promised ; 

But 'twas also said that I should top 

You in prosperity; and these weird women 

Having a miraculous insight into human 

Nature, know that I seek not dishonest 

Profit ; so that my success must be 

Looked for in the brightest dream of 

My heart's hope: the winning of a chaste 

Daughter's love ; Margaret ! 

(Enter Lady Mammon and Mammon) 
Mammon: 

Ah, our chief guest has arrived: welcome! 

Van Emburg. 
Lady Mammon: 

With him absent, our great feast had lacked 

One of its prime requisites. 
Van Emburg: 

My service, and best wishes to you both. 

I am happy to be here in answer to 

Your invitation. 
Mammon: 

To-morrow night, we hold a solemn supper, 

Sir, and 'tis our earnest wish that you 

Become as one of us until that time. 
Lady Mammon: 

We will not take no for an answer; 

So comply with our wishes with a good 

Grace. 
Van Emburg: 

Madam : you may always command me. 

In serving you, duty and inclination 

Become one. 

(Mammon has struck bell, and Servant enters) 
Mammon (to Servant): 

Conduct this gentleman to his apartment. 



(To Van Emburg) We shall expect you to return 
shortly 

(Exit Van Emburg with Servant) 

I fear that man, and somehow feel that he 
Will yet be my undoing. I would grasp 
Eagerly any tempting chance to put him 
Out of my path forever. He knows more 
of Midas' affairs, than any other ; and 
These envious and venomous rumors, now 
Taking shape in the financial district, 
That our suddenly acquired wealth, was 
Had by foul play, had their origin in 
Him. 

Lady Mammon: 

But the coming marriage of Margaret, 
To Sir Epicure, will stop this talk, and 
Remove the danger. Happy thought ; to make 
The parent trunks, appear on terms of 
Amity, by uniting the branches. The 
Daughter of Midas, wed to the son of Mammon, 
Proves our salvation. 

Mammon: 

Those that climb the mountain heights of 
Gratified ambition, by criminal methods, 
Have aroused the fierce bloodhounds of 
The public welfare ; and as they press 
Onward towards fresh excesses, are ever 
Threatened by these snarling dogs at 
Their heels. 

LadM Mammon: 

Time and money are very badly spent, 
When success is eained without content; 
'Tis better to be that which we destroy. 
Than to survive, and dwell in doubtful joy. 
Silence — here comes Margaret. 

(Enter Margaret, attired in mourning) 

Margaret: 

Ah, I have found you at last. 

Lady Mammon: 

Yes, we were called here. — Margaret, 
Mr. Van Emburg has arrived. 



KING OF WALL STREET 



191 



Margaret: 
Has he, indeed ? I am very glad ; where 
Is he? 

Lady Mammon: 

He just went to his room to make a 
Few changes. Will you remain here until 
He returns, and entertain him? 

Margaret: 

Oh, yes, I would enjoy doing so very 
Much. 

Lady Mammon: 

That's a good girl. — We will go now. 

(Exeunt Lady Mammon and Mammon) 

Margaret (solus) : 

Thoughts, sinful thoughts, come to the best 
Of us ; and woe the while, the best virtue 
We can assume, is not to speak them. 
I have pledged my faith to Sir Epicure, 
And yet the mere mention of Van Emburg, 
Brought with it a flood of tender memories, 
Felt sooner or later by every girlish 
Heart ; and very dear to us. When cupid's 
Arrow rankles in the heart, we coat 
Around it with a world of sentiment. 
As the oyster coats the sand, until 
We have the pearl of love. 

(Enter Van Emburg) 

Van Emburg (eagerly): 
Miss Midas, — Margaret! 

Margaret: 

Mr. Van Emburg: I am so glad you are here. 

Van Emburg: 
To find you here, and all alone, is 
The greatest boon that fortune could bestow 
Upon me. 

Margaret: 

Well, it is nice to hear you say that 
Even if one knows you do not altogether 
Mean it. 

Van Emburg: 
But I do mean it ; every word : upon 
The outcome of such a meeting I knew 
My hopes of perfect joy depended; is it 
Strange then that 1 looked for it 
With eagerness ; nay, positive impatience. 
After that sad event which led you to 
Adopt these sable ornaments I saw you 
Many times, and when you told me the 
Startling news that your father had nothing 
To leave you, I was madly happy, despite 
Your loss of fortune, for hope took the 
Place of melancholy : you might be won. 

Margaret: 

Oh, Mr. Van Emburg, you must not talk 
In that strain. 

Van Emburg: 
That strain, to me, is full of melody. 
I told you of my hopes ; you gave me 
No answer in words ; but your eyes : was 
That soft look only feigning, Margaret? 



You told me to wait ; that your bereavement 
Forbade you to think of yourself. 

Margaret: 

Yes, those were my words. 

Van Emburg: 
Well, I have waited; oh, with such longing; 
As those slowly moving months lingered 
My desires. Margaret, your loveliness has 
Bewitched me, and I can no longer remain 
Silent : will you listen to me ? 

Margaret: 

Mr. Van Emburg, no woman engaged to 
Be married can hear such words and 
Retain her self respect. 

Van Emburg: 

Why do you say, no woman engaged 
To be married? Surely that does not 
Apply here. 

Margaret: 

Are you not well aware of the purpose 
Of your invitation here? 

Van Emburg: 

Yes, to attend a great banquet, to-morrow 
Night. 

Margaret: 

Nothing more? 

Van Emburg: 
That was all. 

Margaret: 

A strange oversight: for to-morrow night 
I am to marry Sir Epicure Mammon. 

Van Emburg: 
Sir Epicure Mammon ! Great God, that can't 
Be true! Tell me that it is false! 

Margaret: 

No, I cannot tell you that. 

Van Emburg: 
Then you have been tricked, deceived, 
Forced into an alliance that must be 
Hateful to you : it cannot be else. 
Sometimes, a word, a look, will say as 
Much, as myriads of fervent sentences: 
There was that in your face, when you 
Bade me wait, which inspired faith ; 
And what lover does not dote on faith : 
Yes, far more than mere legal bonds, backed 
Up by fines and penalties. 

Margaret: 
You are good, and kind, and I am unworthy 
Of you. My vanity had to be nurtured 
By wealth and power : my Father leaving 
Me none, I felt the change keenly. Lady 
Mammon told me that her husband was anxious 
To take Sir Epicure in as partner, 
Upon condition that he should marry 
And settle down. Sir Epicure proposed. 
And I accepted : the wedding takes place 
To-morrow night. 

Van Emburg: 
But, you do not love him? 



ig2 



KING OF WALL STREET 



Margaret (Sadly) : 

I will not reply to that question: 

Perhaps I could not if I would. 
Van Emburg: 

But you shall answer it ; or this marriage 

Will never take place ; I will find a way 
' To prevent it. There are grave reasons to 

Believe that your father was most foully 

Dealt with, by this same Mammon, and now 

For some unholy purpose he lured you 

Into a union with his dissipated son. 

Oh, Margaret ! promise me you will go 

No further in this? 
Ma7'garet: 

Oh, that is impossible ! 
Van Emburg: 

I am going to my room to think : if 

There is no other way to stop this 

Great wrong, I will use force. (Exit) 

Margaret (throws herself in chair in a transport of 
grief) : 

Wretched me ! — I have done him grievous wrong ; 
And lost forever — my hopes of happiness! 

Curtain. 



Scene II. — New York City. A Private Dining Room 
in Hotel. The general appearance is flashy, gaudy, 
but cheap ; as is also the attire of the ladies. Wine 
and its usual effects are in evidence, particularly as 
regards the men. 

Mrs Dazzle (sparkling in cheap diamonds) : 
Sir Epicure? — by the way, why do they 
Call you, Sir? 

Sir Epicure: 

Dear Mrs. Dazzle, that is 

A title obtained from the King of the 

Samoa Island : my Father loaned him some 

Money to build a railroad. Not being 

Able to repay the loan in full, the 

Title was tendered and accepted for 

The deficiency. 

All: 

Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! 

Mrs. Dazzle (looking at watch): 

Well, I declare, 12:30; my, we have had 
Such a jolly, merry time, that the hours 
Have slipped away unnoticed ; and it is 
Almost time to go. 

Miss Sentimental (pretty and interesting) : 
Now, that you are going to marry, shall 
We not see you any more? 

Sir Epicure: 

Decidedly yes. Miss Sentimental — or 
Senty — for short. This, the last of our 
Many, many sprees, was given in honor 
Of said nuptials ; not as a leave-taking 
From you all, and the giddy world. 

Lady Veneer (aristocratic coating) : 



But you always complain of being short 
Of funds. I think that you put too much 
Of your money in the railroads. 

Sir Epicure: 

Do you think so ? How do the people of 
Your class in Europe, invest their money? 

Lady Veneer: 

Oh, in various ways ; but principally 
In rentes. 

Surly: 

Ah, in rentes. Lady Veneer: — 

So many people here in New York nut 

Their earnings in rents ; high rents at that. 

Miss Decaid: (old maid): 

It sefins to me our banquets are notable , 
For <" ^i thing: the blue blood that flows 
In '' VlOST of us (looks sneeringly at 
two pretty young girls). Our family 
Have never had money ; though we can trace 
Our line from Edward the Confessor : the 
Real nobility, consider money, vulgar; 
But your American aristocracy, weave 
Their caste, and even their characters. 
Into their bank accounts. 

Surly (who has called for wine and is taking it from 
waiter, and passing it) : 
Miss Decaid, you cranky but dear old Maid, 
This blue blood, is all very well in 
Its way, but you can't buy wine with it; 
And if we don't soon make a raise, we'll 
Have to quit this feasting. Sir Epicure 
Has been bragging about the wealth of 
His bride to be ; but it now turns out 
That her father left her nothing, on account 
Of the theft of that box. 

Miss Vanity (beautiful and fascinating): 
There's one thing that always wins out. 
And one thing only : it's not noble birth. 
Nor fine descent ; but it's youth, and beauty. 
You can't paint and powder, to conceal old 
Age, and have people forget what you are, 
In what your ancestors were. 

Mr. Stout (bald head): Miss Vanity, 
Quite right my dear: you'll always find 
Us middle-aged men, among your adorers. 

Sir Epicure: 

Well, as for me, I have got the YELLOW 
Fever; the mad thirst for gold. 

Lady Veneer: 

That seems to be a Wall Street, disease: 
One might say, an epidemic. 

Surly: 

Yes, the very air is filled with the germs, 
And the slightest contact takes them into 
The system, to breed the plague : men become 
Insane in their mad thirst for wealth, and 
Power ; and reek not of the means. Sir 
Epicure has contracted the awful malady; 
And is besides a spendthrift. 



i 



KING OF WALL STREET 



193 



Sir Epicure: 

Thank you : but I must say old boy, 
That every word you spoke is strictly true. 
The contagion is on me, but I can't 
Make the money: I buy stocks, and sell 
Them short ; play the races, faro-bank, and 
Dice; and instead of profits, heavy losses. 
Which are paid by Father, or put me deeper 
In debt to the money lenders. {General 
merriment among the ladies) 

Miss Sentimental: 

You should stop it, when you find you 
Always lose, and take up something else. 

Sir Epicure: 

Exactly; and I have done so: listen 
To my story: when I went to college, 
I took a course in chemistry ; a fine 
Study, and next to drink, my favorite 
Hobby; and I became an adept in its 
Mystic appliances and processes. When 
I got into the Street, and heard of gold ; 
Nothing but gold; I thought of alchemy, 
A phaze of chemistry: alchemy: the secret 
Of transmuting the baser metals into 
Gold and silver. 

All: 
Ha! Ha! Ha! 

Mrs. Dazzle: 

Sir Epicure, if you keep talking in that 
Strain, we shall assume that the champagne 
Has gone to your head : that is what is 
Vulgarly called a pipe-dream. 

Sir Epicure: 

Far from it, I assure you. Necessity, 
Is the mother of invention, and the 
Burden of debt, I am under drove me 
To experiments in alchemy : the thirst 
For gold, and the need of gold ; I 
Failed to beat the interests, so it 
Must be had some other way. The result 
Is beyond my wildest dreams: a world 
Famous European Alchemist, who is now 
In this City, is completing my work : 
One more visit to his laboratory, and 
The trick is turned; our solution, now 
Almost perfect, becomes possessed of 
Magical power, and changes all metals 
That it touches, into shining gold. 
I am so sure of it, that my head is 
Filled with the glorious visions of 
How I'll spend it. 

Miss Vanity: 

I believe you : and these skeptics may doubt ; 
But they shall yet believe, too. 
Tell me of your visions. 

She is a bewildering creature, and as he tells her 
of his hopes, he becomes enthusiastic and attentive : 
the rest watch the scene, at first scofifingly, but 
finally become enthused with the spirit of the scene, 
and gather around, 



Sir Epicure: 

Well then, Vanity, 

Listen to a few things I have planned 
So far : I will have my beds, blown up — 
Not stuffed ; down is too hard ; and then 
Mine oral room, filled with such statues. 
As Tiberius took from Elephantis, and 
Dull Arctine but coldly imitated. I'll 
Have no pictures, for all must be new 
Each day ; but mirrors everywhere, shall 
Reflect the beauteous scene ; but leave no 
Secrets for prying eyes. My mists. I'll 
Have of perfume, vapoured 'bout the room. 
To lose ourselves in ; and my baths, like 
Pits, to fall into ; from whence we will 
^ Come forth, and roll us dry, in gossamer 
And roses. 

Miss Vanity: 

O, b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-1 ! — beautiful ! 

Sir Epicure: 

Mv meats, shall come in on Indian shells: 
Dishes, of aeate set in eold and studded 
With emeralds, sapphires, hyacinths and 
Rubies. The tongues of carps, dormice. 
And camel's heels, boiled in the spirit 
Of sol, and dissolved pearl, shall make 
Mv consommes : and I will eat these broths. 
With spoons, of amber headed with diamond 
And carbuncle. My foot-boys, shall eat 
Pheasants, calvered salmons, knots, e'odwits : 
I myself, will have the_ bulbs of barbel, 
Served, instead of salads; oiled mushrooms; 
And the swelling unctuous paps of a 
Fat sow, newly cut off, drest with an 
Exquisite and poignant sauce ; for which 
I'll say unto my cook -.There's Gold: Go 
Forth and Be a Knight. 

The rest of the quests have now gathered around 
Sir Epicure and Miss Vanity, and are eagerly 
listening. 

Mr. Stout: 

And I'll be bound, the papers, will sing 
Your praises then through their stafif of 
Poets. 

Sir Epicure: 

My shirts, I'll have of taffeta-sarsnet, 
Soft and light as cobwebs ; and for all my 
Other raiment, it shall be such as mieht 
Provoke the Persian, were he to teach the 
World, riot anew. My eloves, of fishes and 
Birds' skins, perfumed with gums of paradise. 
And Eastern air. — 

Miss Vanity: 

Exquisite! go on, go on. 

Sir Epicure: 

And, my flatterers, shall be the pure 
And g-ravest of Divines, that I can get 
For monev: the most eloquent of speakers, 
My mere fools ; and then my poets ; the same 
That write so subtly of the arts, whom 
I will entertain still for that subject. 



194 



KING OF WALL STREET 



Of those who ever boast of their conquests 
With women, some of these I will make 
Eunichs of ; and they shall fan me with 
Ten ostrich tails apiece. We will be 
Lavish, girlie, now that we are to have 
The means. {They applaud Sir Epicure, to 
the echo, and then break out in noisy 
derision; showing that they are all too 
much under the iniluence of wine, to 
remain in any one mood, very long: Sir 
Epicure, is nearly intoxicated) 

Mrs. Dazzle: 

Now, we must all go home: it is late. 
And besides, Sir Epicure needs rest; 
He has drank too much wine. 

Sir Epicure: 
Don't go yet. — 
Well then one last glass of wine together. 

{They drink a toast to Sir Epicure's 
marital happiness) 

Good night ! Good night ! 

They all exit, and Sir Epicure staggers around 
into an easy chair, and his head falls as he dozes. 
The curtains forming the back part of the room, 
open, disclosing the laboratory of the Alchemist. 
The scene has a rich, sombre, Oriental aspect. A 
blacksmith's fire is being blown up by a man with 
a bellows ; a counter is filled with the glasses, cru- 
cibles and retorts used by chemists, some of which 
contain fancy-colored liquids. 

(Enter into the laboratory. Sir Epicure, genteelly in- 
toxicated, and Surly) 

How Sir Epicure can apparently be in two places, 
(dozing in the chair, and in the laboratory), at the 
same time, is a puzzle which will be unravelled 
later. 

Sir Epicure {to Face, who is blowing up 
the tire) Where's the alchemist? 

Face (goes to door leading to Alchemist's 
private study, and returns to his work): 
Sir; he'll come to you by and by. 

Sir Epicure (to Surly): 

That is his fire-drake, his lungs, his 
Zephyrus, he that puffs the coals, till 
He work nature up in her own centre. 
If the fates are faithful, sir, this night 
I'll change all that is metal in my house, 
To gold ; and early in the morning will I 
Send to all the plumbers and the roofers. 
And buy their lead and tin up; and to 
Phelps Dodge & Co. for all the copper. 

Surly: 

What, and turn that, too? 

Sir Epicure: 

Yes, and I'll purchase Staten Island and 
Long Island, and make them perfect Indies! 
You admire now? 

Surly: 

No, it's all rot. 



Sir Epicure: 

But when you see the effects of the 

Great medicine ; of which one part projected 

On a hundred of Mercury, or Venus, or the 

Moon, shall turn it to as many of 

The Sun, nay, to a thousand, so ad infinitum; 

You will believe me. 
Surly: 

Yes, when I see it, I will; but if my 

Eyes do cheat me so, and I giving them 

No occasion ; you'll find me at an 

Oculist's the next day. 
Sir Epicure: 

Ha, why, do you think I fable with you? 

He that once has the flower of the sun, 

The perfect ruby, which we call elixir; 

The Lapis Philosophorum, or Philosopher's 

Stone, can do all this, and much more. 
Surly: 

How can it be an elixir; and yet a stone? 
Sir Epicure: 

'Tis a stone, and not a stone ; a spirit, 

A soul, and a body ; which if you dissolve, 

It is dissolved; if you coagulate, it 

Is coagulated; if you make it to fly, 

It flyeth : you are incredulous ? 
Surly: 

Faith, I have humor ; but I would not 

Willingly be gulled ; your stone cannot 

Transmute me. 
Sir Epicure: 

My dear Surly, will you believe antiquity. 

Records? I'll show you a book where Moses, 

And his sister, and Solomon, have written 

Of the art; ay, and a treatise penned 

By Adam. 
Surly: 

You can! 
Sir Epicure: 

Yes, of the philospher's stone; and 

Written in high Dutch. 
Surly: 

Did Adam write in high Dutch? 
Sir Epicure: 

He did ; which proves it was the primitive 

tongue. 

Face comes to them with a glass of reddish 

liquid in his hand, from which he takes a piece of 

iron which has been colored a golden tint. 
Sir Epicure: 

How now ! do we succeed ? is our day come ? 

And holds it? 
Face: 

The evening has set a red, upon you, sir; 

You have color for it, crimson : the red 

Ferment has done his office ; in a few 

Minutes prepare you to see projection. 
Sir Epicure: 

Pertinax, my Surly ; asfain I say to 

To thee aloud. Be Rich; this day thou shalt 



KING OF WALL STREET 



195 



Have ingots ; and to-morrow give Lords, the 
Affront. Is it my Zephyrus, right? blushes 
The pig iron? 

Face {zvho has been dipping the iron in the 
liquid again) Like a wench, with child. 
That were but just discovered to her husband. 

Sir Epicure: 

Excellent witty. Lungs ! My only care 
Is where to get stuff enough now to 
Project on; iron and other metals, to 
Turn to gold: this City will not half 
Serve me. 

Face: 
No, sir, buy the coverings off of the 
Churches. 

Sir Epicure: 
That's true. 

Face: 

Yes ; let them stand bare, as to their 
Auditory; or roof them new with shingles. 

Sir Epicure: 

No, good thatch: thatch will lie light upon 
The rafters, Lungs. Lungs, I will manumit 
Thee from the furnace; I will restore thy 
Complexion, Puffe, lost in the embers ; 
And repair this brain, hurt with the fume 
Of the metals. {Feels of Face's head) 

Face: 

I have blown sir, hard for your worship; 
Thrown my many a coal which turned to 
Clinker; weighed those I put in, just to 
Keep the heat even: these blackened eyes 
Have strained to read your several colors, 
Sir; of the pale citron, the green Hon, 
The crow, the peacock's tail, the plumed 
Swan. 

^iV Epicure: 

And lastly, thou hast descried the Summum 

Bonum; the glittering gold. 
Face: 

Yes, sir. 
Sir Epicure: 

Where's master? 
Face: 

At his prayers, sir, he: — good man, he's 

Doing his devotions, for your success ; 

After having been hard at work for you 

All day. 
Sir Epicure: 

Lungs, I will make an end of all this 

Labor; thou shalt be the master of my 

Seraglio. 
Face: 

Good, sir. 
Sir Epicure: 

But do you hear? I'll geld you, Lungs. 
Face: 

All right, sir: I will look well, All Gold. 



Sir Epicure: 

For I do mean to have a list of wives. 
And concubines, equal with Solomon: 
We'll begin at once, and where I spy a 
Wealthy citizen, or rich lawyer, have 
A sub-limed pure wife, unto that fellow, 
I'll send five thousand dollars, to be 
My cuckold. 

Face: 
And I shall carry it. 

Enter the Alchemist, from his study: he stops 
at the fire, and speaks with Face, and then goes 
with Face to the counter, where they examine the 
complicated chemical apparatus; while Sir Epicure 
and Surly converse as follows: 

Surly: 

Why, it is said, that he who gets the 
Stone ; must be homo frugi; a pious holy 
And religious man; one free from mortal 
Sin, a very virgin. 

Sir Epicure: 

That makes it, sir ; he is so : but I 
Buy it ; my venture brings it me. He 
Honest wretch, a notably superstitious, 
Good soul, has worn his knees bare, and 
His slippers bald, with prayer and fasting 
For it : and sir, let him do so still. 
Here he comes — the world-famous alchemist. 
Not a profane word before him: it is poison. 
Best wishes. Father ! 

Subtle (the Alchemist): 

Gentle son, I thank you. And to your 
Friend, there ; whoever he may be ? 

Sir Epicure: 

An heretic ; that I did bring along. 
In hope sir, to convert him. 

Subtle: 

Son, I fear that you are covetous, as 
You are always a little ahead of the 
Appointed hour: take heed you do not 
Cause the blessing leave you, with your 
Ungoverned haste. 

Sir Epicure: 

I am patient ; you need not fear that : 
I but come, to have you confute this 
Gentleman. 

Surly: 

Who is indeed sir, somewhat costive of 
Belief towards your stone ; would not be 
Gulled. 

Subtle: 

Well, son, all that I can convince him 
In, is this: The Work Is Done; bright 
Sol, is in his robe : we have medicine 
Of the triple soul, the glorified spirit; 
Thanks be to heaven, and make us worthy 
Of it!— Face? 

Face: 
Well, sir. 

Subtle: 
Look well to the register, and let your 



196 



KING OF WALL STREET 



Heat, still lessen by degrees to the 
Aludels. 

Face {making some changes in apparatus) : 
All right. 

Subtle: 

Did you look at the bolt's head yet? 

Face: 

Which one? The one marked with the 
Letter D, sir? 

Subtle: 

Ay, what's the complexion? 

Face: 
Whitish. 

Subtle: 

Infuse vinegar, to draw his volatfle 
Substance, and his tincture : and let the 
Water in glass E, be filtered, and put 
Into the gripe's egg. Lute him well; 
And leave him closed in balneo. 

Surly: 

What a brave language is here; this beats 
Your canting. 

Subtle: 

Set me out crucible D, and retort E. 

Face: 

Very well, sir. 

Subtle: 

These two, are now arrived at fixation. 
The next step is ascension. Face, are you 
Ready? 

Face, has taken two large glasses, filled with bril- 
liant colored chemicals, and set them in a stand, very 
much like a large store scale, one glass at each 
side of the scale, and elevated some height above 
the counter. Subtle, goes over to the table, followed 
by Sir Epicure and Surly. 

Sir Epicure (to Subtle): 

When do you make projection? 

The Alchemist, while delivering the following 
speech, goes through sleight-of-hand tricks, and ar- 
ranges it so that the speech fits in with the tricks, 
and the tricks fit in with the speech, in an interest- 
ing way. 

He puts a cube of iron, in one of the glasses, and 
then pours the entire contents of the glass, into the 
other glass, showing the iron to be dissolved and 
that there is nothing but liquid; then he takes a 
small sieve, and pours the liquid throu9;h this sieve, 
back into the first glass, and it is seen that a cube 
of gold, remains in the sieve. This process of 
pouring the contents of one glass into the other 
glass, and then back again with its result of all 
liquid, or the gold cube— he repeats twice. 

Subtle (in answer to Sir Epicure's question): 
Son, be not hasty ; I exalt our medicine, 
By hanging him in Balneo Vaporoso, 
And then giving him solution ; then congeal 
Him ; and then dissolve him ; and then 
Again congeal him : for look ! — how oft I 
Repeat the work, so many times I add 



Unto his virtue. So if at first one 

Ounce convert a hundred, after his second 

Loose, he'll turn a thousand; his third 

Solution, ten ; his fourth, a hundred ; and 

His fifth, a thousand thousand ounces 

Of any imperfect metal, into pure 

Silver or gold ; in all examinations, 

As good as any of the natural mine. 

Get your stuff here at once: your brass, 

Your pewter, and your hand-irons. 
Sir Epicure: 

Not those of iron? 
Subtle: 

Yes, you may bring them too; we'll change 

All metals. 
Sir Epicure: 

Then, I may send my stoves? 
Subtle: 

Yes, and your stove-pipes. 
Surly: 

And coal-scuttles, and pokers, and frying-pans? 

Shall he not? 
Subtle: 

If he please. 
Surly: 

To be an ass. 

Subtle: 

How, sir! 
Sir Epicure: 

This, gentleman, you must bear with: 

I told you he had no faith. 
Surly: 

And little hope ; sir ; but much less charity ; 

Should I gull myself. 
Subtle: 

Why, what have you observed, sir, in our 

Art, seems so impossible? 
Surly : 

The whole thing, is a humbug. That you 

Can with the aid of fire and chemicals, 

Hatch gold, as they do eggs in Egypt. 
Subtle: 

It is just as absurd to think that 

Nature in the earth, bred gold, perfect 

In the instant : something went before. 

There must be remote matter. 
Surly: 

Well, what was that remote matter? 
Subtle: 

Marry, we say 

Sir Epicure: 

Ah, now he heats : go on Father ; pound 

Him to dust. 

Sir Epicure's remark, is caused by the attitude 

and manner of the Alchemist, who takes on the airs 

of a lecturer, with a hobby. 
Subtle: 

It is, of the one part, a humid exhalation, 

Which we call Materia Liquida, or the 



KING OF WALL STREET 



197 



Unctuous water; on the other part, a certain 
Crass and viscuous portion of earth: both 
Which together, do make the elementary 
Matter of gold ; which is not yet Propna 
Materia, but common to all metals and 
All stones ; for, where it is forsaken of 
That moisture, and hath more dryness, it 
Becomes a stone: where it retains more of 
The humid fatness, it turns to sulphur. 
Or to quicksilver ; who are the parents. 
Of all other metals. Nor can this remote 
Matter suddenly progress so from extreme 
Unto extreme, as to grow gold, and leap 
Over all the means. Nature, doth first beget 
The imperfect ; then she proceeds to the 
Perfect. Of that airy and oily water. 
Mercury is engendered; and sulphur of the 
Fat and earthly part: and this mercury. 
And this sulphur, are the male and female of 
All metals ; and they do generate, the 
Precious product. 

Sir Epicure: 

Well said. Father! Nay, if he take you 
In hand sir, with an argument, he'll pound 
You with a pestle. 

Surly: 
Pray you, sir, stay. Rather than Til be 
Pounded ; I'll believe that Alchemy, is 
A pretty kind of Game; somewhat like 
Cheating at cards. You'll never convince 
Me, unless with my own eyes, I see it. 

Subtle: 
Then, scorner, — skeptic, — look upon 



The magic sight, and be astounded ! 

There is a loud explosion, and the stage is filled 
with smoke : when the smoke clears away, a lovely 
transformation scene in gold and silver appears, of 
Sir Epicure and his boon companions, at a sump- 
tuous feast. The Alchemist's laboratory has van- 
ished, and given place to the lovely gold and sil- 
ver transformation scene: and Sir Epicure, is still 
dozing in the chair. Sir Epicure, now wakes up, 
rubs his eyes and arises excitedly, as the Trans- 
formation scene vanishes. 
Sir Epicure {amazed, and then amused): 
Well, I'll be d — darned ! That was nothing 
But a nightmare ! — a dream ! 
All that Wall Street glitter and frenzy; 
And the invisible spirit of wine; 
Has made me bug-house. 

Curtain. 

The reader must keep in mind that the only part 
of this scene, which is real, is the Banquet of Sir 
Epicure and his friends, and their departure, and 
his falling asleep in the chair— the balance, (the 
Alchemist's laboratory, and the Transformation 
scene) is a dream — his dream. But as the dream is 
acted on the stage, to obviate the necessity of hav- 
ing two Sir Epicures, a make-up is substituted, 
when Sir Epicure goes to the door with his guests, 
when they depart, and this make-up comes back 
and dozes in the chair, giving the real Sir Epicure 
a chance to act in the laboratory scene. A make-up 
of Sir Epicure, and Surly, are introduced in the 
Transformation scene. 



ACT rv 



Scene I. — New York City. Hall in Mammon's 
Mansion. 

{Enter Sir Epicure, in full dress, and Surly) 

Sir Epicure: 
Well, old boy, congratulate me ; for 
I am a Benedick, now. 

Surly: 

Why so I do; with all my heart. 

Sir Epicure: 

Why the deuce did you interrupt me, 
In the midst of the wedding banquet? 

Surly: 
The money-lender ; he has refused to 
Renew the note, which comes due to-morrow: 
Says he loaned you good money on it. 
And that you must come down with the 
Full amount by 10 o'clock to-morrow, 
Or the note will be presented at the 
Bank for payment. 

Sir Epicure: 
Great heavens ! I am a ruined man I 
Surly, I must take you in my confidence ; 
You won't betray me, will you? 



Surly: 

I am not in the habit of deserting 
My friends. 

Sir Epicure: 

Well, Surly, that note is a — forgery: 

I myself, signed it with the name of 

One of my father's wealthiest customers. 
Surly: 

I though as much ; and I guess the 

Money-lender, is getting wise to it ; 

That's the reason he wants his money. 
Sir Epicure: 

Well I am glad that you let me know. 

I can't start away on my wedding trip. 

Without paying that note ; for it means 

State prison ! I leave on the 5 o'clock 

Morning train: come back at 4 o'clock 

And wait outside; don't fail. 
Surly: 

You can depend on me. 
{Sir Epicure accompanies him to the flies, and returns) 
Sir Epicure: 

Well, God knows I hate to do it; 

But I've got to tap father's safe; 



igS 



KING OF WALL STREET 



There's no other way to raise the money. 
This is not an honorable way; but it 
Is considered a possible contingency, 
In the present science of high finance. 
I have the combination, for he sent me 
From the office, here, to get some stocks. 
About a week ago ; and I don't think he's 
Changed it since. When the party breaks up, 
I'll make an excuse, that I am going 
Out to walk and smoke, until 5 o'clock. 
So as not to miss the train : then when 
Sleep, the midnight prowler's stanchest friend, 
Has laid his heavy hand upon them all, 
Return and filch the coin, (o lady's voice 

is heard calling, "Sir Epicure!") 
Yes, yes, I am coming. 

(Exit Sir Epicure) 



Scene II. — The same. The parlor of Mansion. 

The stage is set for a large and elegant parlor: 
at the rear are broad steps, which lead up to a bal- 
cony promenade, this promenade extends across the 
stage, from right to left, and leads into the ban- 
qviet hall, which is invisible but must be imagined 
by the audience : music is playing, and promenaders 
pass to and fro on this balcony, and some descend 
the steps into the parlor, and form groups, which 
either stand or move about, and make a picturesque 
sight. 

(Enter Lady Mammon and Mammon) 

Mammon (aside to Lady Mammon) : 

Our banqueted guests, are in most happy 
Mood, and will no doubt mentally renew, 
Their allegiance to us, for many years 
To come. And we need their aid; for 
While we are the railroad's mighty sun ; 
No sun can do without its stars. 
Here, to-night, are gathered the great 
Money powers of the land : Presidents, 
And Directors of railroads ; great Bankers, 
And Brokers; Syndicate and Trust Magnates; 
And Statesmen, of no mean note. How many 
Of these, think you, attained wealth, by 
Methods as false and treacherous as our 
Own? 

Lady Mammon: 

Those who seek for wealth by honest means; 
Poor fools, they will sooner find themselves 
In rags. 

Mammon: 
Our most inveterate enemy, that meddling 
Van Emburg, whom the witches said should 
Lose a father's wealth, but gain his daughter's 
Love ; no doubt meaning Margaret ; he, poor 
Dupe, will find a prophecy, for once 
Gone wrong; for Margaret is the wife of 
Our Sir Epicure. 

Lady Mammon: 

May we ever thus crush, those who oppose 
Our plans. But come, we must rejoin our 
Guests at once, or our absence will excite 



Comment. (Exeunt Lady Mammon and Mammon 
into the invisible banquet hall) 
A dialogue between a Banker and his wife, prom- 
enading in the parlor. 

Banker: 

Quite a few, like ourselves, have left the 
Wedding banquet and are promenading. 
What a feast! the tables, did fairly bend and 
Groan, under the weight of delicacies : 
Choice meats, salads, desserts and other 
Viands, that tempt the palate; and the 
Richest wines, of every clime, flowed in 
Plenteous profusion. 

Wife: 

Indeed, a most rare and costly banquet: 
And the wedding ceremony, at the church ; 
A most brilliant and impressive affair. 
An audience where beauty, and wealth. 
Strove for supremacy : as the two souls 
Made one, marched through the long drawn 
Aisle, the pealing organ, swelled the 
Note of praise. 

Banker: 

The financial skies are dotted with bright 
Stars ; but Mammon's fire to-night doth eclipse 
Them every one. 

Wife: 
Mammon: riches personified: the Bible says, 
"You cannot serve God and Mammon:" Milton, 
In his "Paradise Lost," has this to say: 
"Mammon ; the least erected spirit that 
Fell from Heaven ; for even in Heaven ; 
His looks and thoughts were always downward 
Bent ; admiring more the riches of 
Heaven's pavement (trodden gold), than aught 
Divine or holy else enjoyed in 
Vision beatific." 

But I never before heard of a man 
^So named. ♦ 

Banker: 

Oh, yes ; there are men of that name in 
Oriental countries. 

(Vati Emburg is seen approaching) 
Why, Van Emburg; how do you do? 

Van Emburg: 
Well, I must confess I have been merrier. 

Banker: 

A little sore over Margaret, eh? 
Now, cheer up : when fate ofifers you a 
Blessing*take it with thanks; when a 
Disappointment, swallow it down without 
Making faces over it: ah, he, he! 

(They leave Van Emburg) 
Van Emburg: 
He jests at love, who to love has 
Grown cold : a serene stability of mind. 
Which comes only with age. 
Why do I still remain here? I distrust 
Mammon and his lady ; not without cause 
I fear : but cannot go hence when my 



KING OF WALL STREET 



199 



Heart is here: so must stay until by 
Margaret's departure, the last vestige 
Of hope is gone forever. 

(Goes back and mingles with the guests) 
Dialogue between a young, stylish, handsome 
girl, and her aristocratic young beau. 

She: 

If I ever get married; remember that I 
Said if; I should like just such an 
Affair as this. 

He: 

Why, my dear, you shall have a much 
Finer spectacle: — that is, if I have 
Anything to say about it. 

She: 

Don't be silly! Why this wedding cost a 
Fortune, and you, you, would make yours 
More splendid. You have shown symptoms oi 
Insanity, sir, in your lavish terms of 
Endearment: calling me your goosey, your 
Duckey, and your baby; but on other 
Subjects besides myself, I had hoped 
You might remain sensible. 

He: 

Listen to me: you know Father is very 
Rich ; some day I will inherit that money ; 
But of course I can't use it now : what 
Prospects have I then at present? 
Father is the head of Wall Street's biggest 
Syndicate, and he has made me its 
Secretary: from that salaried position, 
It will be a quick rise, until I become 
A sharer in the spoils and profits. 

Enter throng of guests from the invisible ban- 
quet hall, followed by the bride and groom, (Mar- 
garet and Sir Epicure) and Lady Mammon and 
Mammon : Lady Mammon and the bride, are at 
once surrounded by a knot of ladies ; while Mam- 
mon, talks with a knot of gentlemen. 

Mammon: 
You know your own degrees : your titles, 
And your marks of merit, won in life's 
Great battle ; but for the nonce we have 
Cast these all aside, and mingle to-night 
On terms of absolute equality. 
For your gracious presence at our feast, 
To one and all, our hearty thanks. 

Guests: 
Long life, and happiness, always attend 
You and your charming lady! 

Mammon: 

As for ourself, 'tis our delight, to 
Mingle with society and play the humble 
Host: our hostess keeps her state, but 
In good time she too will have some 
Words to say. 

Lady Mammon: 
Speak, for me, sir, for I ain at a 
Loss for words : 'tis sometimes hard to 
Speak what the heart feels. 



Mammon: 

Here, have we to-night our country's wealth, 
Roofed : our money Princes, assembled 
In one place. This, for us, were glory 
Enough ; but the union of the daughter 
Of Midas, to the son of Mammon, makes 
Our joy almost perfect : there's but one 
Regret ; one alloy ; the absence of the 
Lamented Midas : would he were now alive, 
And with us. 

Lady Mammon: 

That he is not present, sir, is no 

Fault of ours : a higher power, from whose 

Decrees, there is no appeal, has removed 

Him from our midst. Our duty is clearj 

To fill the void left by his death : 

To become as it were, the adopted parents. 

To this dear girl. (Embraces Margaret) 

Mammon: 

That has ever been, and will continue. 
To be as dear to us, as life itself. 

He starts eagerly towards Margaret, but before 
he gets to her, the vacant place at her side is lilled 
by the form of her deceased father, Midas ; who is 
bleeding from a pistol shot : his appearance is made 
possible without being noticed by the audience, by 
the shifting of a knot of ladies and some gentle- 
men who surround Margaret: when Mammon sees 
him, the audience also sees him; but the guests do 
not ; it being nothing but an illusion of Mammon's 
guilt-laden soul ; and it is the prerogative of the 
playwriter, to show his ghosts, to whom he pleases. 

Guests: 
Why, what ails you, sir? What terror does 
Shake you so? 

Mammon: 

What ghoulish plot is this? 
This devilish invention ; fitting in 
With time and place, to wreck my peace 
Of mind: which of you has done this? 

Guests: 
Done what? we know not of what you speak? 

Mammon: 

Come'st thou to condemn me. Midas? there's 
Surprise and horror, stamped upon your 
Face: and yet 'though my accuser; you 
Were as much to blame as I; it was 
An accident : that blood upon your silver 
Hair, is not of my shedding! 

A Guest: 

Friends, we had best depart: our worthy 
Host is not well. 

Lady Mammon: 

No, stay yet ; the fit is only momentary, 
In a trice he'll be himself again. 
He has been thus, since a severe sickness, 
Some months ago ; if you notice him, it 
Will increase his distress : enjoy yourselves. 
And regard him not. (To Mammon) 

Come, be a man. 



KING OF WALL STREET 



Mammon: 

'Tis no disgrace, to play the coward; 
When you look on that which might terrify 
The devil. 

Lady Mammon: 

foolish stuff ! this is but an offspring 
Of your fear; as was the air-castle, 
Which appeared to you on the night of 
The murder. Oh, these stares; and starts; 
Are not well done, they're not thrilling: 
Children, can do better, when they listen 
To some ghostly legend, at a winter's fire. 

Mammon (as apparition nods at him sternly) 

1 pray you, look ! behold ! — see you that ! 
Why, what care I; if you can nod, speak too: 
If our vaults and graves, can send those 

We bury, back to us ; our cemeteries shall 
Become cities, and our monuments but their 
Adorning statuary, (apparition disappears) 

Lady Mammon: 

How can you talk such folly. 

Mammon: 

As sure as I'm alive, I saw him. 

Lady Mammon: 

Why, you ought to be ashamed. 

Mammo7i: 

Not alone, now, is blood shed, but 'twas 
So in the olden time ; ere human statute, 
Purged the general filth. At that time 
Murders were done, too terrible to hear : 
Even at that time, when the blood flowed 
Out, the man would die, and there an end ; 
But now they rise again, with threatening 
Looks, and taunt us with the crime: this 
Is more strange, than was the murder. 

Lady Mammon: 

My worthy husband, your guests are worried 
About you. 

Mammon: 

Ah, I forgot : do not be startled, my 
Worthy friends ; this strange infirmity 
Is only of recent date : the fit though 
Violent, is short ; thank heaven for that : 
I beg your gracious indulgence. Now I'll 
Sit down. (Wine has been brought in) 
Give me some wine ; fill full : I drink to 
The general health of the whole assembly; 
And to our dear friend, Midas ; whom we 
Loved : would he were here. 

Guests: 
Drink, sir, and may the wine renew your 
Health and spirits. 

(Apparition of Midas comes back and stands again 
by Margaret) 

Mammon: 

Avaunt ! and quit this place ! go back into 
The sepulchre ! — that form is boneless, 
Ay, and bloodless too ; there is no intellect 
Behind those eyes, which fiercely glare at me! 



Lady Mammon: 

Look upon this, kind friends, as a fresh 
Outbreak of the first attack ; 'tis no other. 
Is it not sad that he should be stricken 
Now ; it breaks up the pleasure of our party. 

Mammon: 

What man dare, I dare : approach thou like 
The midnight burglar ; the sneaking assassin ; 
Or the bravest of men : take any form but 
That! and my resolute heart shall never 
Tremble: come to me again as man, (not 
As devil) and dare me to — the desert. 
With thy taunts ; if I show the coward. 
Then protest me a baby of a girl. 
Away, horrible shadow ! ghastly phantom, 
Hence! (Apparition disappears) 
Why, so ; being gone, I can get my 
Breath again. (To guests) I pray you, 
Hurry not thus away. 

(He sinks into a chair in utter collapse) 

Sir Epicure: 

Ladies and Gentlemen ; we will now bid 
You all a kind good night. He must to 
Bed, where nature with sweet slumber, will 
Repair what damage this malady has wrought 
In him. 

Guests: 
Good night — and better health come to our 
Afflicted host, with the morning. 

Lady Mammon: 
We' are fairly overcome, with a deep 
Sense of gratitude. 

What guests remained, now depart ; and two serv- 
ants lead Mammon off: as he moves slowly off he 
says: 

Mammon: 

The law oi Moses : an eye for an eye : 
Blood will have blood, 'tis said ; murder 
Will out : he who wrongs man, will by 
Man be wronged : throw over your crime, 
A dark veil of secrecy ; bury the 
Weapons, bribe your accomplices, and then; 
Your own conscience, stands forth as your 
Accuser. (Curtain) 



I 



Scene III. — The same. Mammon's Private Business 
Room. A large safe at one side and desk along- 
side : there is a library in the room, and in the 
centre is a reading table and chairs. The door is 
opened noiselessly, and Sir Epicure, enters and 
closes it after him. 

Sir Epicure (greatly agitated) 

I guess no one heard me ; but I'll wait 
A little before I proceed to business. 
Well that was certainly a bad spell, 
That Father had. I've seen greenhorns, who 
Just got into the stock-market, act something 
Like that when the market broke, and their 
Hard-earned money went up in smoke ; which 
Smoke soon came down as rain to water 



KING OF WALL STREET 



The flowers of the big interests. But 
Dad ; why I've seen him take chances with 
Millions, and never turn a hair when 
Things looked black. He must have had an 
Epileptic fit, with a delirium-tremens, 
Thrown in for good measure, to make him 
Act so. I thought that if we put him 
To bed, he would soon fall asleep: he 
Is sleeping so sound now, that I have 
Nothing to fear from him. That was a 
Lucky thought of mine, to insist upon 
Remaining at his bedside ; it gave me a 
Chance to sit up without exciting suspicion. 
Well, it's a little after four o'clock. 
And Surly must be outside waiting, so I 
Must go to the bank, and draw the money, 
(Ha, ha,) to pay that note. 

The room was kept lighted at night as a safe- 
guard against burglary : he turns down the gas — 
goes to the safe — and works at the combination 
lock. 

Sir Epicure: 

Seventeen — thirty-three — nine — so! 

{He pulls the safe open) 

Enter Mammon, . carrying a lighted lamp : he 
noiselessly advances a few steps into the room and 
then stops. As Sir Epicure rises after opening the 
safe, he sees Mammon, and thinks that Mammon 
sees him, and drops into the desk chair in a faint. 

Mammon: 

Midas' spirit, abroad; that means my 
Sure damnation : he has come back after 
His diamonds : but they're all sold ; sold 
In Europe ; and they brought millions. 

Sir Epicure has revived, and by facial expression, 
shows his amazement at hearing this. 

Mammon: 

When I saw him standing by Margaret, I 
Thought I would die: the dead come back 
To life ; they, don't do that for nothing : 
They say spirits only walk, when some crime 
Committed against those they love, keeps 
Them from resting in their graves. 

Sir Epicure: 

Why, he's a somnambulist; a sleep-walker: 
His eyes are wide open, but he can't see. 
They don't wake up unless they receive 
Some shock : my salvation depends on that ; 
A pretty slender thread. I wonder if he 
Ever did this uncanny thing before. 

Mammon has walked to the reading table, and 
sat down, placing the lamp upon the table. 

Mammon: 

I went to his room disguised as a 
Burglar; and he grappled with me, and I 
Shot him. 

Sir Epicure: 

Great God! listen to that! 



Mammon: 

He fell down, and lay perfectly still. 
With the blood running out of the wound 
In his head ; he was stone dead : and I 
Dazed by the awful act, fied out of 
The open window with his box of precious 
Stones. 

Sir Epicure: 

Horrible! most horrible! 

(He is affected almost to collapse) 

Mammon (arising taking up lamp and approaching) 
I sold the stones abroad, and invested 
The money in securities ; they are all 
In that safe ; but he'll be here ; thank 
God he hasn't been here yet ; but he'll 
Come, and try to get them, to give them 
Back to Margaret ; so that he can go back 
To his eternal resting place, and sleep. 

Mammon feels of safe, while Sir Epicure crouches 
in fear of discovery, and finds it open. 

Mammon: 

The safe is open ! That ghostly devil 
Has robbed me ! 

The lamp falls with a crash. Mammon comes to 
his senses, and in the darkened room sees a form 
making for the window ; he pulls open a drawer in 
the desk and gets a pistol, and taking aim, fires, 
saying : 

Mammon: 

A burglar ! stop, you cowardly thief ! 

(Sir Epicure falls, and Mammon goes 
and bends over him) 

My son! — My God, I have killed my boy. 

(He sobs) 

The sure penalty of the money-curse : 

From good to bad, and then from bad to worse. 

This will disgrace our family forever: 

My part in it shall never be known: 

I must back to bed,^and await developments. 

(He exits hastily, leaving the door open) 

Enter Van Emburg, who turns up the gas, sees 
the body, and bends over it. 

Van Emburg: 

Merciful powers! Sir Epicure! 

A bullet wound : here's the pistol ; 
Perhaps a suicide. (Takes up pistol) 

Enter Margaret ; she sees Van Emburg drop the 
pistol, and quickly advances until she recognizes 
the prostrate form, as that of her husband; she 
bends over it and cries: 

Margaret: 
O, rash man ! O, wicked man ! you 
Have killed my husband. 

Some servants, followed by Lady Mammon, come 
in quickly and have gathered around just in time to 
hear Margaret's accusation. (Curtain) 



KING OF WALL STREET 



ACT V 



Scene I.— New York City. Lady Mammon's 
Boudoir. A door stands open, which leads into a 
hall, and this hall leads to a supposed bed-chamber. 

(Enter Mammon and Margaret) 

Mammon: 

This illness of my wife, comes at a bad 
Time. We are now in the midst of a 
Great financial crisis: it is imperative 
Thaf I should be at my office before 
Ten o'clock ; {looking at watch) it is now 
Nine : I will wait until the Doctor arrives ; 
No longer. If any serious change for the 
Worse develops, Margaret, I trust you 
Will bring me word to the office? 

Margaret: 

Oh, yes, I will come at once. 

{Exit Margaret into the hall) 

Mammon: 

I have to play the adopted father, to 
Her, but it goes against my stomach. 
She loves Van Emburg; I am sure of that, 
And he returns her passion. This man 
The very sight of him, fills me with 
Terror ; and yet I gave him a place in 
My office, under my very nose, because 
With all my suffering, I must see what 
He is doing. The cur, said he would like 
To refuse the job, only the interests of 
Others, forbade. I wonder what he meant 
By that? No doubt he referred to Margaret, 
And poor Midas. 

(Enter Servant with a telegram, and exit) 

Mammon (opens and reads) : 

"A mad rush to sell out American stocks. 
At the opening of the London market." 
Let them sell out, the fools ; we'll make 
Them buy back at higher prices. 

(Enter a Gentleman) 
How now, Dayton? 

Dayton: 

I come to report, sir, that great droves 
Of men and women, surround all the Banks, 
And Savings Banks, clamoring to withdraw 
Their money. 

Mammon (furiously): 

Bring me no more reports: let them empty 
The vaults, and set fire to the buildings; 
Tear up railroad tracks; defy our court's 
Injunctions : my financial power is so 
Great, I can repair the losses. 

(Enter a colored Servant, pale and excited) 
The devil, that dyed you black, made your 
Color to fade, you milk-faced loon! 
What gave you such a fright? 

Servant: 

There are ten thousand 



Mammon: 

Scarecrows, coward? 

Servant: 

Citizens, sir: a frantic mob of men, and some 
women and children ; who surround this house and 
with outstretched arms, cry : "Down with the Money 
Trust ; down with Mammon, and Wall Street, which 
takes the money the people need for bread and uses 
it in speculation." 

Mammon: 

Go, get some paint, and blacken o'er that 
Face, you arrant coward: by my soul! 
Those ashen cheeks and trembling limbs. 
Are breeders of sickly fears: go, take 
Yourself hence. (Exit Servant) Dayton! 

(Dayton who has been at one side, comes near) 
Dayton, I am sick at heart. I have catered 
To the rich, and their vain and shallow 
Pursuits ; their extravagances, luxuries, 
And special privileges ; their worthless 
Creations, which eat up the substance of 
Our land, and make the people poor: and 
That which should be the harvest of Hfe; 
As honor, respect, gratitude, troops of 
Friends ; I cannot hope to have ; but in 
Their stead, curses both loud and deep ; 
The execrations of my fellow men. 

(Enter a Doctor) 
Ah, Doctor ; you have come at last : 
The tiresome deliberation of you 
Physicians, wracks our system, almost as 
Much as your nauseating pills. Come, let's 
Go see the patient. 

(Exeunt into hall, Mammon, Dayton and Doctor) 
(Enter Margaret) 
Margaret: 

O, God, some dregs yet remain in my 
Cup of sorrow, which I must drink, I fear. 
Lady Mammon's life trembles in the balance, 
Almost three years since that awful night, 
When I was made a wife, only to become 
A widow. The whole sad story comes back 
To me : Van Emburg's indictment and trial ; 
I being compelled to give damaging 
Testimony against him ; then came the 
Verdict : I grew faint and dizzy and 
Sank back in the chair, for it meant 
Liberty, or a prison, perhaps death, 
To the man I loved (I knew then that 
I loved him) : "disagreement," said 
The foreman ; and they took him back to 
Prison, a while longer, a year in all ; 
Then he was released on bail, and never 
Re-tried : but the foul charge tarnishes 
His good name. I visited him in prison ; 
O, woeful sight! to see him in a felon's 
Cell : yet my discerning soul could see 
Him innocent ; and I told him so ; that 



KING OF WALL STREET 



203 



I trusted him fully : he took me by the 
Hands, looked in my eyes, and said : "When 
I am proved innocent of this crime, by 
The discovery of the real culprit, 
Margaret, I will have something to say 
To you." Why not say it now, I blushingly 
Replied, ashamed of my boldness. These 
Words moved him deeply, but he made no 
Answer, and relapsed into the old 
Dignified courtesy. (She meditates) 

(Re-enter Mammon, Dayton Doctor: exit 
Margaret.) 

Mammon: 
Now Doctor, what think you of the patient? 

Doctor: 

Very sick in body ; and even worse in 
Mind: brimful of morbid fancies, that 
Interfere with rest. 

Mammon: 

That, you must cure her of. Select those 
Drugs, that bring lucidity to the diseas'd 
Mind, wipe from the memory a bootless 
Sorrow, throw out the trouble-worn atoms 
Of the brain ; and with their sweet oblivious 
Qualities, deaden the throbbings of an 
Aching heart. 

Doctor: 

Therein, the patient can herself do more 
Than the medicine. 

Mammon: 

Feed physic to the dogs ; it kills more 
Than it cures. 

{To servant) Come, help me with my coat; 
Give me my stout cane ; something to keep 
These beggars off : Doctor, even my friends, 
Desert me. {To servant) Come, sir, use 
Despatch. Doctor, if you could aptly 
Diagnose, the present financial troubles 
Of our land, and purge them to a sound 
And pristine health; take the declining. 
Yea, toppling prices of our stocks, bonds, 
Foodstuffs, and other things, and inject 
Into them some invigorating tonic, that 
Would give them strength and vitality again ; 
I would applaud you to the very echo. 
And that echo would applaud again. 
Pull the trick off, I say ; and find me 
Some subtle poison, which will forever 
Silence these sycophantic reformers. 

Doctor: 

These things cure themselves by natural 
Laws. God hath provided remedies, to 
Preserve the health of the body politic ; 
Not man's body alone. When men become 
So arrogant ; so defiant of the Supreme 
Being ; as to waste their health and 
Substance, in vain, extravagant and riotous 
Dissipation; then comes the plague: when 
Monopoly, defiant of the general welfare, 
Builds up associated wealth, by towering 
Prices for the necessaries of life; then 



Comes the panic : — to re-distribute their 
Ill-gotten gains. 
Mammon (^visibly startled and cowed by these words, 
now breaks out angrily): 
Quack Doctor ! pseudo moralist ! — 
Preach not to me : go outside, and in 
A temple, not made with hands, tell the 
Poor, of the antiquated doctrines, of 
The prophet Nazarene, of universal 
Brotherhood and universal wealth. 

{Exit Doctor) 
Dayton, our united money power is great; 
We scorn the law, mock at the decrees of fate. 
{Exeunt) 

Scene II. — Wall Street. A Front Curtain Represen- 
tation. Enter 3 Scrub-women (Witches) ; with 
their pails and brooms. 

Witches: 
Soon the clock will strike the hour of ten, 
And then the evil work begins again. 
{They laugh diabolically) 
In this place many a rogue made is. 
And comes to stay with us in hades. 
Railroad earnings of this mighty nation. 
Used chiefly by cliques in speculation : 
Broken faith and breach of trust. 
Shining virtue, dark with rust : 
Forgery and embezzlement ; which do not so appear, 
Because of tainted atmosphere: 
Stockholders swindled of their money. 
By those they put in charge ; that's funny ! 
So much in love with unlawful booty; 
That they despise fidelity to duty. 

(They set down their pails, and march around them, 
making strange incantations and gestures, and 
throwing something in the pails.) 
{Enter Mammon) 

Mammon: 

How now ; you secret, ugly, and venomous 
Hags, what is it you do? 

Witches: 
A deed, you'll be afraid to hear named. 

Mammon: 
You mysterious women ; who have already 
Given some proof of oracular powers: 
What is to be the outcome of this day's 
Business? prosperity, or a panic? 
You shall tell me ! I'll conjure you by the 
Same evil power that you possess ; to 
Which I am no stranger. {Trinity chimes) 
Can the winds, be untangled, and made to 
Fight against us, with the churches? shall 
Our financial Empire disappear; as the 
Monster waves, confound and swallow navigation 
Up? shall the coming money hurricane, blow 
Down trees, and topple buildings, on their 
Watchmen's heads? shall pyramid, palace. 
And hovel, all crumble to a common level? 
Answer me this, I command you. 
{A ringing peal of chimes from Trinity Church) 



204 



KING OF WALL STREET 



IVitches: 
Listen to the bells ; listen to the bells ; 
And try to fathom what their music tells. 
Ding, dong, bell ! — Ding, dong, bell ! 

{The witches imitate the chimes') 

Will, He, who made those tones so sweetly pure; 

Permit the rich to crucify the poor? 
{Chimes ring out again) 

Hear the chimes ; hear the chimes ; 

Peal out their melodious rhymes : 

Peace on earth, good will to men : 

Not fortunes made in gambling den. 

Ha, ha, ha! {The witches howl) 
Mammon: 

ril fool no more time away with such 

As you : begone, you infernal agencies. 
{Mammon passes by them and exits, as the Witches 

say) 
Witches: 

To keep your wicked monopolies and trusts; 

You'd better leave the church, and come to us. 

Ha, Ha, Ha! 

{Exeunt Witches) 

Scene HI. — The same. Stock Broker's Offices. 

Very large and elegant : a quotation blackboard 
on the side wall at right : two stock-tickers from 
which boys are taking the prices of stocks as they 
come out and marking them up on the blackboard 
with pasteboard figures : some rows of customers' 
chairs where men are seated watching the black- 
board : other men stand around conversing or read- 
ing from the News Service Machine : close to the 
left wall at her desk sits a female telegraph opera- 
tor and directly back of her is a square space railed 
off where some ladies sit : the left wall of the office is 
nothing but a partition rising half way to the ceil- 
ing and dividing this customers' room from the pri- 
vate office: which private office as well as the cus- 
tomers' room are entirely open to the audience. 

Disclosing Van Emburg, seated at his desk in the 
front private office: the customers' room is sparsely 
occupied, and there is little noise. 

Van Emburg {solus) : 

If one may trust those delightful visions 

That come to us in sleep, this day will 

Usher in some glad event: last night I 

Dreamt that I was free from all taint 

Of crime; and that Margaret had promised 

To become my bride. My being's Lord, sits 

Lightly on his throne, and all this morning, 

A freshness of spirit, has lifted me 

Above the reach of gloomy thoughts. 

Ah me, how sweet must absolute possession be, 

When but to dream of, brings so great a joy. 

{Enter Mammon, and some Financiers, into private 
oMce through a door at left) 

Mammon: 

Now, Gentlemen: as you are all powerful 
And wealthy Railway Financiers ; you are 



Well aware, how wealth, fabulous wealth, 
Is created in this country ; and how we 
Profit by it. There is first a period 
Of great prosperity in business ; based 
On good crops, and a sound state of trade. 
Confidence prevails ; credit is excellent ; 
Manufactures flourish ; new enterprises spring 
Up ; expansion in all directions sets in : 
The people are prosperous, make lots of 
Money, and are tempted to speculate 
And gamble, if they see or hear of a 
Place where it can be done : then comes 
Our chance — 

Financiers {with chuckles) : 
Then comes our chance! 

Mammon: 

Yes, and we take 
Full advantage of it ; we flood them with 
Our new issues of Railroad stock : rotten. 
Decayed, and putrefied ; and of course we 
Get their money. 

Financiers {laughing): 

Ha, ha, ha, ha ! — of course we get their 
Money. 

Mammon : 

Along come, these sneaky moral reformers ; 
Stick their noses in and insist that the 
Public, shall be protected ; that like all 
Other lines of business, they must receive 
Real value, for their money ; and not a 
Gold brick. Doubt and distrust arise; 
Reformation is demanded, and revolution 
Threatened : values crumble ; our great 
Fortunes are much impaired or wholly lost; 
And we become ordinary men again ; no 
Better than our fellows : are you willing 
To submit to this? 

Financiers {highly indignant): 
We are men, great sir. 

Mammon: 

Ay, among nature's exhibits you are 

Catalogued as men ; but rnen are of 

Various kinds ; each one receiving particular 

Addition, to the common spirit breathed 

Into them all alike: these endowments 

By proper use, bring us sickly virtue, 

And pale-hearted content : abused ; they 

Make us avaricious, cunning and cruel. 

Now, as you have taken your station in 

The ranks, amongst the unscrupulous ; 

Come with me {starts to go to the rear) ; 

And I will put that scheming in your 

Bosoms, whose proper execution drives 

Your enemies ofif, grapples you to the 

Heart and love of us, who wear our health 

But sickly in their success, which in their 

Ruin were perfect. {They go to rear of private 

office, and sit around Mammon at his desk) 

The Stock Exchange opens at lo o'clock, and it 
was shortly after that time when our scene opened : 
customers have been coming in through the en- 



KING OF WALL STREET 



205 



trance on the right side front of stage, many men 
and a few women ; these added to those already 
there, makes quite a crowd, and much somewhat 
subdued excitement and hubbub begins to prevail. 
Office Manager, goes around greeting customers, 
and then addresses them. 

Office Manager: 

I, as Office Manager of this house, desire to say, 
that the fluctuations of the stock market, to-day, 
are almost sure to be sudden and violent : all opera- 
tions for the rise, or the fall, will be extremely dan- 
gerous and hazardous : we deem it our duty to cau- 
tion those who are in the market, and desire to re- 
main in, to be prepared with their funds; certified 
checks or cash ; so as to be ready in case a crisis 
occurs, and additional margin is required. 

{Enter two ladies; one young, stylish and pretty; and 
the other about thirty and rather homely) 

Young One: 

Oh, I must get acquainted with the young million- 
aire, Percy Stuyvesant! His father died lately and 
left him a million. He's just as handsome, as can 
be, and so grand! — Why he buys fabulous amounts 
of stocks, as nonchalantly, as though he were buy- 
ing neckties. 

Older One: 

You mean the stylish fellow, who always comes 
in an Auto? {Auto horn is heard) There! per- 
haps that's him now. 

(Enter Percy Stuyvesant, a dashing fellow of 27 years, 
he bows to the ladies, and makes goo-goo eyes at 
the younger which are returned by her, and joins a 
small group of men.) 

Young One: 

That was Percy: did you see the sweet, eager, 
longing look, he gave me. I think this hat must be 
stylish, after all ; I didn't like it at first. 

Older One: 

You were very bold. He's real mean, to treat me 

so coolly. {The young one goes back and within 
the ladies' railing) 

He, smiled on her, and turned away from me; 
And yet, by many, I am thought as fair as she: 
And so he errs, doting, on her soft eyes ; 
While all my finer qualities, he doth despise. 
{She also goes back within the ladies' railing) 

Percy Stuyvesant: 

How's the market? Strong eh? {Looks at black- 
board) Well this house is bullish, and I'm going 
to follow them: Miss Morse: {to lady operator) 
buy me one thousand Jersey Central ; five hundred 
Lake Shore ; and one thousand Pennsylvania ; will 
you ? — that's a good girl. Ah ! here's our great 
BULL, and our great BEAR : now Gentlemen ; 
what have you to say about the market? One at a 
time : we will listen to the Bull, first. 

The Bull {a fat man) : 

Why, this talk of a panic, is all rot. The last one 
we had was in 1857: and it is now 1873 : it's years, 
since we have had one, and we're not likely ever to 



have another; the country's too great! Why you 
can buy, anything or everything, now (even an old 
maid's matrimonial prospects), and sell out at a 
profit. 

Stuyvesant: 

Ha! ha! ha! {The laughter becomes general) 
And now, we will listen to the Bear. 

The Bear {a thin man) : 

Sell out ! sell out ! everything is going lower : the 
country's going to the dogs. Sell out your lot in 
the cemetery ; you'll buy it back cheaper ; don't hold 
over any groceries ; buy only those you need : sell 
out your dog ; you'll get a better one for the same 
money: sell your mother-in-law; if you can get a 
bid on her. {This speech excites more laughter) 

Manager {calling a man of about 30 to one side) : 

Collins: you will have to put up more margin, 
at once, or be sold out. 
Collins: 

Why, then I lose my last cent! Don't do it, 
sir, I implore you! If I am in the market there's 
always a chance. 
Manager: 

Well, I am sorry for you, Collins, but I can't help 
it; I have to obey orders. {To ticker boy) What's 
the price of Third Avenue Street Car? 

Ticker Boy {looking at ticker) : 

One hundred five and one-quarter, sir, on the 
blackboard, but here's another sale just coming out: 
one hundred three and three-quarters. 

Manager: 

There you are, Collins ; that price, wipes out your 
margin and puts you in debt to the house. {To the 
telegraph operator) Miss Morse: sell out 25 shares 
of Third Avenue, for account of Collins. 

Collins: {solus) 

Great God! That leaves me penniless! When I 
entered this office, less than two years ago, I had 
half a million: and now, a pauper: no money; no 
capacity, or liking for work ; and the craze of spec- 
ulation, still burning up my veins. 

{Enter Tribulation Wholesome, Assistant Pastor, ^th 
Avenue Church, "Spread My Messags" and Ana- 
nias Satdt, a Deacon.) 

Manager: 

Well, gentlemen: what can I do for you? You 
come at a most opportune time, to enter the market : 
it has a healthy reaction, and is now moving up 
strong again. 

Tribulation: 

No, you are in error, sir. We have 
No intention of dealing: in stocks: we 
Desire to see Mr. Mammon ; who is I 
Believe the proprietor. 

{Hands his card, and Ananias hands his) 

Manager: {reading cards) 

Tribulation Wholesome ; Assistant Pastor, 5th 
Avenue Church, "Spread My Message," and 
Ananias Salt; Deacon, same Church. 



206 



KING OF WALL STREET 



Ananias: 

S-a-u-1-t : pronounced Sowelt, sir. 

Manager: 

Ah ! I see. — He is very busy, now : 
Have you an appointment? 

Tribulation: 
The Pastor of our Church, led me to 
Infer so ; I come from him. 

Manager: 

Very well ; I will take in your cards. 
But you had better state your business. 

Tribtdation: 
Our Pastor, is raising a special fund, 
To send abroad to convert the heathen: 
Mr. Mammon was kind enough to promise 
To donate ten thousand dollars ; I have 
Called for it: here is my authority. 

(Exit Manager into Private Office) 
During this dialogue between the three men, the 
hubbub in the room has become what might be ex- 
pected of a promiscuous crowd of men and women, 
who are risking large sums of money, on the delu- 
sive and illusive scheme of speculation and gamb- 
ling, now furnished to the public by the Railroad 
Magnates : elation, enthusiasm, depression, despair, 
shouts and oaths are all in evidence, mixed with a 
little obscenity. This breaks upon the hearing and 
sight of Tribulation and Ananias, to their sorrow 
and dismay : and in addition, when the Manager 
goes into the private office with their cards, they 
hear the following while waiting for his return. 

A young man: (to his friend) 

I just made a cool hundred on that deal : bought 
a hundred New York Central, yesterday, and just 
sold out : that means a supper and a bottle to-night ; 
with a girl who don't care. 

His friend: 

Well, that stock, I am in, beats h — 11 : the whole 
market is going up, and it's going down. 

(An aged man who has been watching the board with 
intensity, here arises and exictedly passes up and 
down.) 

Old Maid: (Coming from the ladies' railed off space) 
(Addressing lady operator) 

Buy me loo Pacific Mail; and lOO Atchison: and 
Reading looks top-heavy ; sell me 200 ; and sell lOO 
Southern Pacific, also : I am both long and short; 
ha, ha, that is a paradox ; a seeming impossibility ; 
but I am not speaking of myself, but of the market ; 
I am dealing both ways at once, so I can't win, or I 
can't lose ; but simply have to pay the "commis- 
sions," which amount already to lOO dollars to-day. 

Lady Operator: 

You can't make too many deals, in a market like 
this ; you are likely to strike a pool stock, by luck, 
and make a lot of money. 

Old Maid: 
Do you really think so? 

This conversation is abruptly brought to a close, 
by the ticker-boy ; who yells out : 



Ticker Boy: 

Somethin' doin' in Erie: it's comin' out in big 
blocks: 500 at 47 3-4: 1000 at 1-2: 1500 at 1-4: 
2000 at 1-2. 
Stout Man: 

Hurrah boys ! let's go out and have a drink : I am 
short of that stock ; and it looks as though the 
blamed thing was going down at last. 

(He is follozved out by 3 men) 
(Enter two young men, who converse as follows) 

First Yoimg Man: 

Hello, Clarence, how are you? 
Second Young Man: 

Oh, pretty rotten : I drank too much booze last 
night. 
First Young Man: 

What are you doing in the market? 
Second Young Man: 

Losing Money! — Why I haven't made a winner 
at the races, but one day this whole month ; and this 
stock game ; there's no one can beat it, but the in- 
siders : it's got me clean broke, all the time : I earn 
good money ; my salary's all right, but this place 
gets the most of it ; and the balance goes for liquor 
and the ponies. I am way behind on my room 
rent, and my board bill, and the landlady threatens 
to throw me out. 
First Young Man: 

Oh, cheer up old boy ; I am not a bit discouraged, 
and I have had even worse luck, than you have: 
I'm going to win out yet ; lots of men have started 
here' with a shoestring, and rose to be multi-million- 
aires and Railroad Presidents. 
Second Young Man: 

Yes, but vastly more who were never heard of, 
started with a shoestring, and wound up with no 
shoes. 

(The Manager comes from private office, and returns 
to Tribulation and Ananias, who have been unwill- 
ing listeners to all that has been narrated as taking 
place in the customers' room, and are shocked and 
surprised.) 

Manager ( to Tribulation and Ananias) : 

He says he will see you, if he can spare the time; 
but sent this message to you : "That it was a damn 
bad time to call." You will find seats, over there. 
(Manager leaves them still standing where they 
are) 

Tribulation (to Ananias): 

These chastisements, are common to the saints, 
and such rebukes, we of the Gospel, must bear with 
willing shoulders, as the trials, sent forth to tempt 
our frailties. 

Ananias: 

In pure zeal, I do not like this man 
Mammon : and although a Church member ; 
He is a heathen, and speaks the language 
Of the unconverted, fluently. He bears 
The visible marks of the arch-enemy, 



KING OF WALL STREET 



207 



Upon his forehead; and as for this place; 
It is a work of darkness ; and with its 
Sophistries, blinds the eyes of men. 

Tribulation: 
But, we can't build churches, and maintain 
Them ; send missionaries into foreign fields. 
To spread the Gospel ; or convert the pagans 
Hereabouts, without money : and as these 
Men have a monopoly of the means, we are 
Justified in taking it ; and also making 
Many of them pillars in our religious 
Temples. — Good brother, we must bend unto 
All means, that may give furtherance to 
The holy cause. 

Ananias: 

Which his, cannot: — when they speak of hell, 
Here, 'tis not as a warning, to the unwary; 
But just to emphasize a vain and frivolous 
Remark. The sanctified cause, should have 
A sanctified course. 

Tribulation : 
Not always necessary: the children of 
Perdition are ofttimes made instruments 
Even of the greatest works : besides, we 
Should allow somewhat for Man's nature ; 
The place he lives in, and what they do 
There. This part of our city, is given 
Up solely to influences, which intoxicate 
The brains of men and makes them prone 
To evil. Take fire, for instance, look 
How it affects those around it : where have 
You greater atheists, than your cooks ; 
Or more profane and choleric, than your 
Blacksmiths? more anti-Christian, than your 
Stokers ? What makes the devil, so devilish, 
I would ask you ; Satan, our common enemy ; 
But his being perpetually about the 
Fire, and boiling brimstone and arsenic? 

Ananias: 

Your thoughts, are beautiful, sir. Truly I 
Have not been edified more by man; no, 
Not since the bright light, first shone 
On me. 

Tribulation: 
It may be so, that when his work is 
Done ; his fortune's large enough ; this heat 
Of his, may turn into a zeal to spread 
The Gospel, hereabouts. We must await 
The calling and the coming of the good spirit. 

(Tribulation and Ananias go and sit down) 

News-service Announcer (reading) : 

"The financial district, is full of awful rumors of 
impending failures of Brokers and Bankers : It is 
sure that many suspensions, will occur soon: the 
Stock Market, is becoming very weak, and very 
active." 

(The quotations come out with great rapidity on the 
Tickers, and the two boys are on the run in their 
efforts to post them on the blackboard: the excite- 
ment increases, and frantic men and women sur- 



round the lady operator and shout out their orders, 
in efforts to save themselves from ruin.) 

(A knot of men gather at front of stage, and gesticu- 
late and talk excitedly.) 

First Man: 

Look at that! stocks are coming out so fast the 
tickers are fairly humming: the transactions are 
enormous: I wonder what's up? 

Second Man: 

Why, this is a perfect slaughter! see the whole 
market drop ! two and three points at a time : why 
it's gone down over ten points already ; if this keeps 
up there will be a mighty panic. 

News-service Announcer (reading): 

OiScial announcement is made of the failure of 
fully twenty Brokers, and some Bankers; and more 
are expected at any moment : wild excitement reigns 
on the Stock Exchange. 

(Mammon, and the Financiers, come rushing into cus- 
tomers' room, from the private office.) 

Mammon: 

Hang out our colors, on the outer walls : 

We are bulls ; and we defy them, : our 

Money power, laughs these bears to scorn: 

We'll trample them under our hoofs, and 

Let them lie, until famine and the plague, 

Eat them up : were they not re-inf orced, 

With those sworn to be ours, we could 

Have met their raids with matched orders. 

And put them in confusion. (Margaret comes into 

private office, and drops into a chair, sobbing) 

What's that? 

Manager: 

It is the cry of a woman, sir. 

Mammon: 

I have almost lost the power to feel: 

Once upon a time, my heart would be 

In my throat, to hear a night shriek ; 

And the very sight of calamity, would 

Fill my eyes with piteous tears : but evil 

Grown familiar to m.y treacherous thoughts. 

Has calloused my soul ; it lacks life ; 

Nothing can move me. — (Margaret sobs again) 

Bring her in here, and let's enquire of 

Her losses. (Margaret comes in) Margaret! — 

Wherefore this crying? 

Margaret (still weeping) : 
Lady Mammon! — 

Mammon: 

Well, what of her? 

Margaret: 
She's dead ! 

Mammon (terribly overcome, and silent a while): 
She, would have died hereafter; 
There must have come a time for that. 
Sometime, the farthest off to-morrows. 
Will in their proper turn become to-days, 
Then yesterdays ; and all our yesterdays. 
Were but the steps, that bring us to the 
Grave. Gone, gone, frail spirit ; life's but 



208 



KING OF WALL STREET 



The immortars shadow : a poor and oft 
Times unknown player, who struts for a 
Brief time upon the stage of life, and 
Then is heard no more. 

News-seriice Announcer {reading): 

The entire country is going through the most ter- 
rible panic, in its history: not less than 75 finan- 
cial institutions, have failed in New York City, 
alone : pandemonium reigns supreme. 

{Mammon, and Financiers, gather around the Ticker) 

First Financier: 

Why, this is nothing but anarchy: gross and un- 
lawful assault upon vested rights : our property is 
being taken from us, without compensation. 

Second Financier: 

Have we not sworn, never to invest a dollar, in 
our own inflated enterprises ; except when neces- 
sary to retain control : to avoid them as we would a 
rattle-snake ! 

All the Financiers: 

Yes, poor fools, we put our money, in our own 
inflated enterprises; and are caught in the trap, we 
set for others. 

Mammon: 

Great God! our costliest, gilt-edged 
Investment stocks, are being bartered 
Without regard to values : these damned 
Wreckers, have made bankrupts of us all. 
{Enter a Messenger) You came here to 
Use your voice ; tell us your story quickly. 

Messenger: 

The Stock Exchange has close'd~its doors, 
indefinitely. 

Mammon {striking him) : 
Liar and slave ! 

Messenger: 

Let me endure your wrath, and receive your 
blows, if it be not so: the Governors, 
of the Exchange so ordered, and the 
President, just announced it from the 
Rostrum. 

Mammon: 

If you speak false ; with these hands I'll 

Hang you up on the nearest tree; if your 

Report be true, I care not if you do 

As much for me : I am become irresolute, 

And begin to doubt, the equivocal fiend 

Voices, that lie to us like truth : lure 

Us on by sophistical appeals to the 

Baseness of our natures, to desert God, 

And our fellow men, that we may attain 

Great wealth and power ; and then the 

Structure we raise to ruin others, falls 

Upon our heads. — A bankrupt ! — Mammon, 

A bankrupt ! — For this it was I charged 

My soul with crime ; put rancor in my 

Heart instead of neace ; and gave mine 

Eternal jewel, to Satan, the common 

Enemy of man : — murder ! — robberv ! — homicide ! — 

And all to be a— bankrupt ! Oh ! Oh 1 



{Falls to the floor in a faint, after speaking this 
speech in a hysterical manner: he is raised gently 
and put in a chair.) 

Van Emburug: 
Quick, run for the Doctor ! — 
The one in the next building. 

Margaret: 

Oh, he is very ill ; sick unto death 
I fear; had we not best remove him 
To some fitter place? 

{All those present have gathered around Mammon, 
during these exciting moments: then quite a number 
leave) 

Mammon {coming to and whispering hoarsely): 
Send for a priest ; — hurry, — O God, you 
May be too late! I am dying; and 
Before I go, I must be reconciled to 
God, through one of his chosen mediators: 
I must have speech with such a holy man : 
To make confession, and to be absolved, 
From most abhorrent and most damning sins. 

Tribulation {approaching): 
I am a Minister of the Gospel, sir: 
Speak your mind freely to me ; and I 
Will very gladly help you all I can. 

Mammon {very weakly, but distinct) 
Listen — then — and pay strict attention 
To every word,- — all of you : I am a 
Very sick man, but in my right mind ; 
Sane, and rational. — Richard Van Emburg, 
Never killed Sir Epicure Mammon: — 
He is as innocent of that act, as 
An unborn babe. It was I did it — 
Yes — I shot — my — own — son : — but it 
Was all a horrible mistake: I went 
To the room ; found a man there ; he 
Tried to escape by the window ; I took 
A pistol from the drawer, and shot him. 
O, what a foul crime ; to kill one's 
Only son ! {Shows intense emotion) 

Tribidation: - 

But Van Emburg was tried for that shooting: 
And although not convicted ; he still bears 
The stigma of infamy. Why did you not 
Clear him of that false accusation, when 
You 

Mammon {vehemently) : 

Wait — for God's sake don't interrupt me! 
There's more to say — and if I don't say 
It soon, it will remain unsaid through 
All eternity : — I realized at once 
That if the truth was known, it would 
Create a terrible scandal ; and I couldn't 
Stand the disgrace — that was all — so 
I went back to my room — to plan — and 
When Van Emburg was accused I was glad — 
For it was an easy way out of my 
Extremity. — A poor deliverance. 
You say ; — Yes, for it was one of 
Those delusions, which make up the only 
Joys the damned have in hell. — 



KING OF WALL STREET 



209 



But, Midas — poor — Midas: that dark 
Act — will tax the forgiveness of my 
Maker, to the utmost: for in the — 

Commission — of — felony — him 

I ki kil (Falls back and expires, 

just as the Doctor arrives) 
Doctor (after examination) : 

One of those modern heart-maladies ; that are be- 
coming so plentiful: where a naturally healthy 
organ is ruined by long continued excessive discon- 
tent, worry and excitement. Lay him down gently, 
over there. (Pointing to place) I go to arrange the 
necessary details for removal. (Exit Doctor) 

(After the body is removed, and all have gathered 
around it a short time with respectful solemnity: 
they gather around Van Emburg, congratulate him 
and shake hands.) 

Tribulation: 

'Tis quite sure, that I only echo the 
Sentiments of all here, when I express 
Delight, that your fair fame, has been purged 
Of this foul stain ; and in spite of this 
The first imputation to the contrary, 
You stand before us as an honorable 
Man. (Shakes hands warmly) 

Ananias: 
You have been severely tried, sir, and 
Now comes your happy hour of vindication. 
Sometimes, the mysterious workings of 
Providence, are hard to understand, but 
We must not murmur : the Divine image. 
We are being hewn into, requires rough 
Strokes, as well as gentle. 

(He also shakes hands) 

Lady Operator (with girlish enthusiasm) : 
Mr. Van Emburg, I am so glad, I could 
Almost shout for joy: how you have been 
Wronged, and how you have suffered ; its 
A dreadful shame. I have worked with you 
In this office, and heard the charge against 
You, but I never believed it ; I knew 
That you were innocent: and now that 
Awful confession has righted you. 

Van Emburg (ardently) : 
Dear friends, kind friends, from my heart 
I thank you. I swear 'tis better to be 
Much abused than not to know such 
Friendship. (To Margaret, who is standing at one 

side, silent and with downcast face) 
Margaret ; have you nothing to say ? 
You stand there motionless, silent, beautiful : 
Like a statue of patience ; not susceptible 
To grief or joy. 

Margaret: 

Oh, I am so happy ! — Too happy for words. 

Van Emburg: 
You will reed but a mono-syllable ; for 
I will do the speaking: my heart full to 
Overflowing, must find relief in words ; 
Burning words of — 



Margaret: 

I'll leave them in your keeping, until 
Next we meet ; when we can speak our 
Heart's thoughts free ; unrestrained 
By memories of the sad fate of this 
Unhappy man ; to whom we owe death's last 
Respect, and must not prove unfeeling. 

Van Emburg (passionately): 

For a fitting time to tell my story. 
With all its glowing details, I will wait; 
But do not think I should, nor can I 
Wait, to ask you this : — 

Margaret (demurely) : 

What? 
Van Emburg: 
Do you love me? 

Margaret: 
Yes, so dearly, that to own it» gives 
Me perfect happiness. (They fondh 
Oh, what bliss it is to feel that I 
Am worthy of you. I do not believe of 
Course, that God makes some people commit 
Crime, that others may suffer, and so 
Rise to higher things ; become nobler and 
Better, through their bitter experiences, 
Which come by association with evil: 
But I know that before these troubles came, 
I was vain, and shallow, and had foolish 
Ideas about money and pride ; but now 
I fully realize the value of the prize 
That I have won : the true love of an 
Honest and upright man. (They embrace again. 

the others start to exit, but are stopped 

by Van Emburg) 

Van Emburg: 

Soft you ; a word or two before you go. — 

I have done this man some service, and 

You know it ; also have suffered much 

At his hands : no more of that ; but I 

Pray you, in your idle moments when 

You this sad story relate ; speak of 

Him as he really was : no vice of his 

Extenuate ; nor add to them your own 

Inventions through malice : then you must 

Say he once was good, and would have 

Remained so, but for his surroundings. 

A man not naturally corrupt ; but being 

Wrought, tempted in the extreme, by the 

Base and sordid money practices of our 

Land ; which reach their climax in Wall Street ; 

Threw integrity away ; integrity, the 

Richest jewel of her tribe. — 

But now, at this sad time, with these 

Harsh thoughts subdued ; with eyes, albeit 

Unused to the melting mood, we stand 

Ready to shed tears, as fast as Heaven, 

Let's fall its dewdrops, in memory of 

This man ; who lived not wisely, and so fell. 

Curtain. 



"Pr 



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